Beyond Borders
by boombamfirepower
Summary: The Emperor's youngest son goes missing, resulting in a conflict with Mongolia that could tear the Asian continent in half. Meanwhile, Tigress has been keeping a secret from the five that could tear her family apart. (Story is better than summary). Human AU TiPo
1. Chapter 1

A full moon shone over the walls and gardens of the imperial palace. It was just past midnight, but the entire palace was on alert. Even the guards stood unwavering despite the cold air outside.

A small man made his way angrily down the halls, cloak billowing behind him and making him look ten times more dangerous. A guard led him down to the dungeon, where a lone prisoner sat in a tiny cell. The gates to that cell opened, and the Emperor himself grabbed the prisoner and slammed him hard against the wall.

"What information do you have that could even remotely begin to save your life?" He hissed. His hand remined around the prisoner's neck, pinning him up against the cold stone wall.

"I think….. know….son is" He choked out. The emperor's eyes widened and he let the man go. His weak body hit the ground with a thud.

"What?" the Emperor asked as the man coughed.

"I think I know where your son is." The Emperor glanced to his guard and back to the man. He crouched to look him in the eyes.

"Where is he?" His voice was soft. The prisoner winced at the change in tone.

"I think he is in Mongolia. Some of the traders in Xiongxang were talking about how a group of Mongolian raiders passed through the town, carrying something in what looked like a brown bag. They swore they saw it moving, your grace." The prisoner bowed his head towards the Emperor. Meanwhile, the ruler glanced to his guard in confusion and shock.

Mongolia and China had been at peace for years. The two nations frequently traded and the two rulers often had parties and dinners together. All of that, however, seemed to fade as the ruler begin processing that his son could be there. That his son was _kidnapped._ The Mongolians knew the Emperor just as well as his people did, and maybe that was the problem.

"You have done me a great service." He said slowly, rising from his crouch. His eyes and mind were a million miles away. He made his way out of the cell, and the guard followed him after deadbolting the door.

"What are we to do, my leige?" he asked.

The Emperor stared straight ahead, eyes dark and steely. His posture was rigid, his jaw set. He said only four words, but those four words would cause the biggest crisis China had seen in centuries.

"We go to war."

A/N: Sooooo…..Hi. How's it goin? I'm still relatively new here, so be nice please. Any constructive criticism is welcome. 3


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: What's up crazy people? Apologies for any spelling….I wrote this reeeaaalllyyy late at night. Enjoy!

"Man. That's the third time this week." Po groaned and let his arms fall, defeated, at his sides.

The five were enjoying the autumn air to the extreme, spending most of their warm, sunny day outside. Morning training had been held in the courtyard, and now they sat doing various activities behind the Hall of Heroes, in the garden.

Viper was tending to the weeds in a nearby bush, while Crane painted on a canvas in the shade. Po and Monkey had just finished a very (not so) intense game of Mahjong, where Po had lost, again. Mantis was leaning against the back of Po's chair, facing the courtyard. Tigress sat on the stairs to a small gazebo, reading scrolls.

"You should know by now not to play him." Tigress replied, eyes fixed on her scroll. She looked over and gave him a sly smile. "He always beats you and you _always_ complain."

"No I don't!" He exclaimed. He looked between Monkey's victorious smile and Tigress' sly one rapidly, and then groaned.

Monkey shook his head and began reseting the game. Several moments passed in a nice silence, until it was broken by Shifu's voice.

"So I see Po has developed a new training regiment for you all.." The five jerked their heads towards the small master in confusion. "Lounging around in the sun." He said it with a small smile, and the others relaxed.

"The weather has been so hot this year." Viper muttered from her spot. "My flowers have not been growing like they should." She frowned, and he chuckled at the stick that was caught in her short black hair.

"Plus, we have been training like crazy." Po said, eyes fixed on his game. "It's nice to relax and have fun for a while." Shifu nodded his understanding.

"Was there something you needed, Master?" Asked mantis, looking around towards the small man.

"Yes, actually. Tigress, come speak with me for a moment." She turned towards him, confused, but she set her scrolls to the side and stood to follow him. Once they exited back through the gazebo, he led her back to the palace.

Once they entered the Hall of Heroes, he handed her a small scroll. "This arrived for you."

She took it from him, frowning at it. Of course, she recognized the yellowish paper and fine handwriting. She had received letters like this before.

She opened it and read it through once, then lowered it in confusion.

"What does it say?" he asked, folding his hands behind his back. It was as if he knew the answer, but wanted her to confirm it.

"Tigress,

You have been my closest friend and one true confidant for almost ten years now. I have told you secrets that I have yet to even divulge to my father or my brother. It is because of this trust I have in you that I write to you now.

A few days ago, my brother disappeared from a small town several miles from the Mongolian border. My father has been in hysterics ever since, and now has told me in quiet confidence that he plans to wage war on the Mongolians to get him back. He is deranged.

I know he has written your master a letter, asking for his help training Imperial troops, and that is why I need your help. I have a sneaking suspicion that my brother was not kidnapped. I would hate for my father to declare war on a country without full proof that he was taken. Please consider joining me at the Imperial palace. I will be able to tell you more when you arrive. Safe travels.

Yours,

Liang"

Tigress glanced to her master, unsure of what to say.

"You and Liang have been friends for many years. Are you certain that is him writing?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes. I am sure."

"I did recieve that letter that he mentions, with instructions to be in the Imperial city before the week is up. When I saw that Liang had written you at the same time, I guessed that something was not right." He frowned, glancing down at the floor. One of his hands stroked his beard.

"What will you do?" She asked softly.

" _We_ will be going to the Imperial city." Her eyes widened. "How will I be able to train hundreds of Imperial troops without my strongest students?" She smiled slightly, finally understanding. Her hands folded behind her back, scroll still clutched tightly. She waited for him to go on. "You and Po will come with me to visit his Majesty. Po can help me train the troops while you and Liang figure out what is going on."

"And the others?"

"Crane, Monkey, and Mantis will remain here and protect the Valley. I am sending Viper to Xiongxang, the town where the Emperor's son was supposedly abducted from. She can blend in well there." Tiress nodded her understanding at his words. "Go and pack your things. We will need to leave in the mornng if we are to make it there in time. I will tell the others."

She nodded and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: SHOUT OUT TO MY FOLLOWER! Thanks for reading, guys! After this chapter, the posting will be a little sporadic as I try to keep what little social life I have. I will update soon, though!

Twenty minutes later, her bag laid packed on her clean bed. Her attention was called to the window at the setting sun glinting off of the mountains. That was the reason she picked the room, of course.

She glanced to the scroll sitting on her bed and sighed.

Part of her wondered if she should tell Po about him.

Po. His name drew another sigh. Lately, it seemed like things between them were changing. Since they came back from the panda village almost six months ago, he was way more affectionate. She was growing used to his hugs when he suddenly began holding her hand. Of course, it was only when the others weren't around. If she couldn't sleep, he would join her on the roof to look at the stars. The other night on the way back from dinner, he kissed her cheek.

She honestly didn't know what to think about it. This affection was very new to her. What brought it on, she didn't know, but it confused her at the sudden increase of it.

Since they were going to be heading to the Imperial place and meeting the man she had kept secret for so many years, she decided to tell him. After all, that happened almost ten years ago.

Mind made up, she went to leave the room, Instead of heading out the doorway, she ran right into a large body. Speak of the devil.

"Sorry." Po stepped back slightly. "You okay?" His brow creased in worry.

"I'm fine." She shrugged and stepped back. "I actually was coming to talk to you."

"Oh? What about?"

"Did Shifu tell you? About us going to the Emperor?" she asked.

"Yeah he did and I am SO EXCITED." Po's green eyes lit up. He did a little happy dance, muttering about good food and maybe a new robe and-

"Po," He stopped his dancing and looked at her. "there's something I have to tell you before we leave." She took a deep breath and sat on her bed, hands folded. "You know the Emperor's son, Liang?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I went to the Imperial city for the first time, we kind of had a thing." She avoided his eyes, afraid of his reaction.

"A thing?"

"You know," she took a breath," a thing." She looked up at him, waiting for his response. He just looked at her.

"Well that was a long time ago, right?"

She nodded. "Ten years."

"Well then, I'm glad you told me, but it really doesn't matter now."She breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on. I made dinner."

He took her hand and led her towards the kitchen, but her thoughts were still racing. Maybe she should have told him everything, but at least he knew the basics.

There would be plenty of time on the journey to the palace for that conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: why hello! It is CRAZY how many followers/favorites/ readers I have had since I posted this two days ago. I am so glad you guys are showing an interest in it! Please, again, let me know if there's anything I can change or add to make this story better.

ALSO (I promise this speech is almost over): I will be introducing a couple of OCs in this story, but they aren't the main focus. I hate it when fanfiction doesn't actually focus on the main characters. So, the OCs I create are solely for the progression of the story. There will be no long series of stories or a crazy long flashback about them. Sorry. Anyways, enjoy. This chapter is a little longer to say "thanks for reading my rant". Love ya.

It took four days and a series of many unexpected stops to make it to the Imperial City. Early-winter rain made for muddy streets, and the four of them walking made it all the more troublesome. Two days in, Viper diverged from them to take a path into Xiongxang, a trip that was supposed to take a few hours. She got there after Shifu and the others reached the Imperial City.

When the trio reached the gates, they were soaked to the bone and their legs and feet were covered in mud. The guard at the gates gave them a once over and shook his head good-naturedly.

"Glad you made it safely. We were afraid the incoming storm system would put you a foot under snow." He opened the gates for them and gave them directions to the palace.

Po thanked him and the three of them hurried through the main street into an awning of a closed restaurant. . The market stands remained empty in the downpour, so the only place to take shelter was the palace itself. They must have looked like quite the group when they inadvertently tracked mud through the Great Hall.

"This. Is. So. COOL!" Po cried, hands on either side of his head. He looked around at the towering columns and the gold ceiling several stories up. Despite the mud and rain outside, the golden glow from the candles bouncing off of the ceiling was enough to make them feel warmer.

"I'm glad you like it." Echoed a voice back. Po startled. His head jerked around until he found the source, a young man walking towards him who was dressed in a simple tunic and black pants. He held a pad under one arm. There was a small smile on his olive toned face and excitement in his green eyes. "I am Li Tong, the Emperor's assistant. It's nice to finally meet the Dragon Warrior in person." He held his hand out and Po shook it excitedly.

"Did you hear that? He's excited to meet ME!" He turned to Tigress, whispering excitedly.

"I heard." She nodded with a small smile. "It's good to see you, Li Tong."

"A pleasure as always, Master Tigress. Grandmaster Shifu, you are looking well." The grey haired master nodded his head slowly. "If you will follow me, we've prepared rooms for the three of you where you can change." He glanced at them with a mixture of disgust and understanding. Po chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hand through his dark hair.

Li Tong led them across the room and through a door on the other side. The hallway they moved through was almost as tall as the room, but much narrower. Along the sides were displays of old battle armor. Po ogled them, but his hand was smacked away by Shifu before he could touch a breastplate.

A few more turns and Li Tong stopped. "Those two rooms are for the men." He stated, folding his hands in front of him. He gestured to his right with his head." Tigress, your room is this one." He pointed to the door on his left. "I will be back here in an hour." He left them alone, and the trio glanced at one another briefly.

"Po," Shifu called before the Dragon Warrior could enter his room," remember that we are guests here. Please behave yourself."

His glare didn't deter the Dragon Warrior, who nodded eagerly and disappeared. However, before Tigress or Shifu could leave the hall, he came running back out. "There's fancy soap!"

"Go bathe, Po." Said Tigress with a small smile. He stuck his tongue out at her and vanished again. Shifu looked between the doorway and his daughter with confusion.

"You haven't told him, have you?" he murmured. Her smile faded and she glanced at her master with reluctance.

"I told him we had a thing." She shrugged and folded her arms defensively across her chest.

"A thing?" He whispered fiercely. His blue eyes were bright and it kind of scared her. "Tigress-"

"I know, okay?" she replied bitterly. "That was a long time ago, and he knows that something happened, so drop it." The end of her statement turned into a hiss and the intensity of her stare caused him to sigh.

"He is good for you," His comment surprised her, "whether you notice that or not. Po has a kind heart, but the kindest hearts are the ones that are easiest to break."

With that, he left her in the hallway.

She took a deep breath and entered her room, shutting the door behind her. The room, just as she remembered, was massive. Crimson walls and dark wood floors made it cozy and warm. She walked straight through to the bathroom, not even bothering to stop and look around. The bath had already been filled with steamy water for her, so she stripped off her muddy clothes and climbed right in.

Bathing seemed to only force her to think of the very thing she wanted to forget. Visiting Liang always brought conflicting emotions. However, Shifu had been right. She hadn't told Po the entire truth. In honesty, telling him they had a "thing" was probably the biggest understatement of the century.

She removed the soap from the side of the tub and began cleaning herself. Once she had successfully scraped the mud from her ankles and legs, she let down her dark hair and began trying to get her curls clean and detangled. As she worked her fingers through the knots, she thought about Po.

Po was something she had never had before. He was her best friend, her confidant, and...her lover? God, what were they? Because the kiss on the cheek and the hand holding told her one thing, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it. When he first came to the Jade palace, she was jealous of him, hated him. Now, she loved him? He had certainly opened her up, and broken down the walls she had tried so hard to build.

Couple that with her increasingly stable relationship with her father, she was almost...human again. It felt good.

She dunked her head under water and then left the now-cold water. She grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around herself. On her bed, someone had laid out a new, grey long sleeve and black pants, as well as new wrappings for her ankles and chest. when she was dressed, she braided her long hair back. Feeling clean and more ready than ever to see Liang, she stepped out of her room.

A/N 2: Shoutout to MarionetteJ2X! Your comment made me laugh :)

The next chapter will have more plot development, I promise.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Viper actually made it to Xiongxang, the rain had mostly cleared up, leaving an overcast sky and very muddy terrain. However, she was very pleased to see that the roads were cobblestone. She adjusted her pack over her small shoulders and lifted the hood to further hide her face. She was supposed to be undercover here, after all.

She and Shifu came up with the idea that she would remain incognito, in hopes of finding out some form of information about the nation's missing prince. She would just pose as a simple traveler, looking for work and, if available, information.

She pulled the small satchel of money from her pocket and made her way to the inn at the end of the main street. Around her, the markets were beginning to open during the break in the rain. Many people began scurrying about in cloaks like hers, trying to get ingredients for their meal that night. Viper easily dodged around them, her small size working in her favor.

She got a few strange looks when she entered the inn, but she was dismissed when they saw she meant no harm. The inn keeper gave her keys to her room and she dropped her stuff off. She then took out a small piece of paper ad glanced over it.

Shifu had given her a few words of wisdom, including the name of another master who was also there. He would be waiting in the local bar for her. She left the hotel and made her way back down the muddy street, dodging around merchants calling out their specials. She entered the pub just as a trickle of rain began again.

Towards the back, she saw the man she was looking for. Tall, dark-skinned, and built like a boulder, Master Wolf was a man to be reckoned with.

"Master Wolfe," he jerked his head up at her almost-silent words and looked her over with chocolate eyes, "I'm Viper, from the Valley." Recognition flickered in his eyes, and he gestured with a hand to sit across from him.

"I am glad you made it safely. Just in time, too. Parts of the border are freezing over." He sighed and took a sip of his drink. "I haven't been able to find out much information, you know. Most of the talk has been bar talk." He took a breath as her shoulders sagged. "Most of the villagers here identify themselves as Mongolians because many of them crossed the border from Mongolia to get better taxes. They don't identify with the Emperor, much less know what he looks like."

"Where are you going with this?" She asked him quietly with a frown.

"Rumor has it that Mongolian raiders came from the south in the middle of the night, apparently ladened with treasure. The Chinese Emperor seems to think that they didn't have treasure, but rather his son. That is why he threatens war with Mongolia." Her eyes scanned his face.

"You don't believe that?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"The same night that the raiders passed through, a man matching his description entered the inn with a lady friend." She leaned against the back of the seat, digesting.

"So, the Emperor is mistaken?"

"He doesn't think he is." Master Wolfe leaned against the seat, cupping his hands around his glass. "This is his youngest son, and his pride and joy. Liang may be next in line, but Ni Chang is the favorite. If the Emperor finds out that his son deserted the castle to be with a woman, it would tear his world apart." Her eyes cast down to the table as she thought.

"So should I speak with the inn keeper?" she asked him.

"Yes, that would be wise. Please, remember to stay under the radar. We do not want to upset the Emperor, or make him believe that the Master's Council is turning against him. Things could get out of hand." He shook his head and made to leave the table. She followed him out of the restaurant and he stopped just outside of the door. "I must return to Gongmen. If you should need any help, please send a scroll. Gongmen is closer than the valley. We can protect you if things go wrong here." He rested a large hand on her shoulder. "Stay safe." She nodded and he left her in the street.

She sighed, but something tickled the back of her neck. Her instincts told her not to turn around. Instead, she began walking through the market stalls, glancing at all of the products on display. She produced a few yuan and bought an apple. When she had the opportunity, she snuck a glance over her right shoulder. Leaning against the wall was a dark haired, vicious-looking man.

And he was watching her.

She averted her gaze quickly, and continued down the street, trying to keep herself from sprinting back to the inn. She browsed the stalls but didn't really look at anything. When she did enter the inn, she didn't go straight to her room. Instead, decided to talk to the innkeeper.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but," He turned to her from where he had been shuffling paperwork, "I'm looking for someone."

"Of course. What can I do for you lass?"

"My sister is convinced that her fiance is having an affair. He was supposed to be here to have fun with some friends, so she sent me to look for him." Viper pulled out the small copy of a painting of Ni Chang. She handed it to him and tried to look as innocent as possible while she lied through her teeth. "Have you seen him?"

He sighed, frowned, and then glanced back up to her. Her heart sank to her knees. "Truth be told, I am not supposed to reveal client information." Her shoulders fell." That being said," he scanned her face, looking for something, "I will help you." He put on a pair of spectacles and rustled through a stack of paperwork for a moment before finding what he needed." He came through several days ago and requested a room. He did have a girl with him." She cursed under her breath. He gave her a sympathetic look. "They stayed only a night or two and then left."

"Do you now which direction they went in?" She asked, looking hopeful.

"North. They must have gone further into Mongolia. I am sorry, dear." He shrugged, looking helpless.

"No, it's ok." She shrugged. "Like I said, my sister expected it. Thank you again."

She left the inn and sighed. Deciding to try and reach Master Shifu, she purchased some parchment from a local shop, as well as a pen, and wrote a letter to her Master. Once that was complete, she returned to her room.

She was going to change for bed when she felt it, that small, undeniable prickle on her neck. When she looked out the window, there he was, standing in the street.

And he was watching her.

A/N: So I think this goes without saying, but all characters belong to DreamWorks (except, of course, the characters that my small mind creates). I am saying this as a blanket statement for this entire story, because I really don't want to repeat it over and over again at the beginning of each chapter.

Next chapter, we will meet Liang.

Out. Peace.


	6. Chapter 6

The Imperial Palace was laid out like a giant C- shape. The massive entrance hall led to two separate wings, North and South. Tigress, Po, and Shifu were staying in the South wing, while the Emperor and his family resided in the North Wing, along with the palace staff. Two other buildings sat behind the main palace, the Library and the Public Offices building. While Po and Shifu went to the North Wing to meet the Emperor in his study, Tigress made her way to the library where Liang was.

The library was just ass she remembered. Once entering the room, she could see at least two story high bookshelves, with a small walkway to get to the upper level. That's where Liang was, back to her, reading a novel.

"I thought I would find you here." She called up. She must have startled him, because he dropped the book and it landed with a resounding thud.

"What did I tell you about startling me, you cheeky thing?" He said. He disappeared for a moment, and came out on the ground floor to her left. "Long time no see." He hugged her tightly and she responded in kind. Liang was one of the few who could elicit a hug from her. Po was another.

"I am sorry it took so long to get here." She sighed, pulling away.

"Don't apologize. I understand." He shrugged. He hadn't changed much since she had seen him last. His eyes were still a light grey and his black hair just as dark. He wore a silky green robe over black pants and a black shirt.

She glanced around, making sure they were alone, before saying "So, what happened?"

He sighed, turning away from her and making his way to sit on a bench on the other side of the room. "Honestly, I do not know where to start."

"Start from the beginning." She prompted, eyebrows raised expectantly.

He gave her a look and then looked down at his hands folded on his lap. "A commonly unknown fact about the Imperial palace is that there is what I can only describe as a bank in the lower levels. I'm talking _way_ underground." She nodded. "Well when my brother and I turned eighteen, we each got a portion of the royal treasure, but it was supposed to be kept in those vaults underground. A few weeks ago, the entire place was robbed. The money from his vault went missing completely. I am talking thousands of yuan."

She frowned. "I didn't hear anything about that. Usually we get Imperial news."

"Nobody heard anything about it. My father ordered it be kept a secret."

"Why?"

"Because, if word that one of the royal vaults went empty got out to China, who knows how many people would try to break into the Imperial Palace. Plus, my father would prefer that the amount of profits the royal family has be kept secret."  
"You think it might be related to your brother's disappearance?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes." He sighed. "This could all be speculation, so forgive me if I end up being wrong, but it just seems too odd to dismiss. The funds just disappeared, no evidence of tampering, nothing. My brother, he wasn't here at the time. He had gone on a trip."

"To where?"

"Who knows?" He shrugged. "He believes that since I am the heir to the throne, there is no reason for him to sit here all day. He has been traveling abroad quite frequently, though. More so in the last year than anything."

She thought for a moment after he had gone quiet. "What happened the night he went missing? I want every detail."

"Well," he sighed, "That night at dinner, he was acting normally. We all ate dinner together, he went to bed at a normal time. The next morning, his room was empty. We found the window wide open and a ransom note on his dresser asking for over five million yuan."

She sucked in a breath.  
"Yeah. That's what I said." He replied. "We do not even keep that much money in the vaults. We have sent agents all over China looking for him, but there is no trace. It's like he vanished into thin air."

"And your father? What does he think?"

"He has gone insane. One rumor from a peasant in northern China said that Ni Chang was dragged through Xiongxang in a brown sack. My father went crazy. He has ordered over one million troops to be prepared before the winter solstice."

She sighed, eyes wide and disbelieving. They were going to attack in the winter? Were they insane? Mongolia not only had extremely cold winters, but they had a military that was quite-possibly more vicious than China's. China could lose this war.

"One of the members of the Furious Five went to Xionxang to try and figure out what happened. We will find him." She placed her hand on his reassuringly. He nodded, still uncertain.

"Master Tigress." Announced a voice. Li Tong entered the library and Tigress released the Princes' hand. "The Emperor has asked to see you." She nodded and left Liang's side, throwing him an encouraging look as she did.

Back across the palace she went, and up the stairs in the North Wing. He led her down a couple of hallways, although she probably could have found her own way if she wanted to. When they reached the ornate office doors, They found Po and Shifu talking quietly outside.

"Tigress!" Po called, excitement lighting up his green eyes. That small sparkle seemed to lift the fear right off her shoulders.

"I trust your meeting went well." She asked with a small smile.

"I got to meet the EMPEROR." He did a little happy jig in the hallway, to which Li Tong responded with a chuckle.

"Is he always like this?" he asked, jerking his thumb to the dancing warrior.

"You should see him at dinner time." She responded quietly. She winked playfully.

"Tigress!" said a voice happily and there he was, the Emperor himself. The spitting image of Liang, he had the same dark hair and misty irises. The only thing that set them apart were the grey wisps of hair on his head and the wrinkles on his face.

"You're Majesty." She responded with a small bow of her head.

"Please, come in." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, which startled her slightly, and ushered her into his study. The doors were shut behind them, leaving Po, Shifu, and Li Tong in the corridor.

"Hehe they seem close." Muttered Po, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, they are." Li Tong replied, preoccupied. He was scribbling something in his notebook. He looked up to see Po teetering on his heels and the silence got even more awkward.

"Didn't she tell you?" he asked, incredulously.

"Tell me what?" Po turned to give his master an incredulous look, but Shifu was glaring daggers at Li Tong. Li tong was too preoccupied to care. "What?"

"Tigress and Liang were engaged." Li Tong shrugged.

Po could only gape.

A/N: Don't hate me! *hides behind desk*.I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I have to sleep at some point soooo...

Shout out to my fellow college peeps who started classes this week or who start back next week. I feel your pain.

Catchya later ;)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:Hello all of my beautiful night owls. I am sorry about the late post. This week has been CRAY CRAY. Love you all bunches! Enjoy!

Viper awoke with a splitting headache. She reached up with her hands and rubbed her eyes, trying to relieve some of the throbbing behind them. She sat slowly, pushing herself up on her hands on the cold stone floor.

"Where am I?" She asked the empty room. She noticed thick bars to her right. A cell? How did she get here? That last thing that she remembered was going to sleep.

She sat cross-legged. It was then she noticed for the first time that she had been changed from her green vest and slacks into a grey jumpsuit.

"Ah, you are awake." Said a calm voice. She squinted at the bars and made out a shadow sitting in front of her...what was this? A cell?

"Where am I?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"You are in prison." Said the voice calmly. It was a female.

"Thank you for that." She replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "What kind of prison? Where on a map are we?"

"The Tonshu Province."

"Mongolia?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why did you bring me here? What do you want?" She fought to keep her voice calm, despite being terrified. She had heard nasty rumors about the treatment of the Chinese in Mongolia. That, and her friends would be terribly worried. She rubbed the back of her head with a wince.

"Why did you come to Xiongxang is the better question?"

She thought for a moment, unsure if she should tell this woman. A part of her felt like she needed to keep a secret, but the other part argued that not much could get worse from here. The other side one. "I came looking for the Emperor's son Ni Chang. He went missing in Xiongxang. I only came to try and find him."

The woman who had been speaking from the shadows finally came up to the bars, her face curious. She was quite beautiful. Her hair was dark, like Viper's, and her light blue eyes reminded Viper of the ocean. She wore a simple, long green robe with black pants underneath. Her midnight hair hung down to her waist. "You came looking for Ni Chang?" She said it more to herself than the master. The young woman turned to look over her shoulder, then looked back at Viper, and then suddenly turned and left.

Viper stood slowly, her headache subsiding. She gripped the wall for support.

The girl returned after a moment, keys in hand. She unlocked the cell door and entered the tiny stone room. Her eyes were curious and bright.

"I am Xue." She said quietly, dipping her head.

"Mai, but my friends call me Viper." Viper dipped her head in return. "I am from the Jade palace in China."

"I have heard stories, mostly from travelers, about the Jade palace. Please, come with me. I'll get you something else to wear." She chuckled lightly and the two left the room.

"Who are you, if I may ask?" Viper asked as they ascended the stairs.

"I am the Empress."

Tigress hadn't seen the Emperor in almost ten years, so he saw her visit as a time for them to catch up. However, through the entire course of their convversation, Tigress wanted nothing more than to yell at him until he came to his senses. Instead, they spoke of training, of the Imperial city, and the weather.

He surprised her, however, by saying as she was leaving "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming along. Liang doesn't trust anyone anymore. It will be nice for you to be someone he can confide in." The Emperor said it so genuinely that her heart jumped a little in her chest. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt, because she was keeping things from him. She just hoped she could make up for it by being a good friend to Liang.

That little jump in her chest turned to dread when she left and saw Li Tong and Shifu staring each other down in the corridor.

"What happened?" She asked, looking between the two and notice for the first time that Po was nowhere to be found. "Did he-" but she didn't need to finish. Shifu shot her a look that told her everything. "Where did he go?" She needed to find him, to explain things. If he was feeling anything close to what she was feeling, he was heartbroken.

"He looked like he went to his room." Shifu sighed. She took off down the hallway and made her way to the south wing at a sprint, almost knocking a few maids as she ran.

He didn't answer the knock at his door, so she broke the handle angrily.

"Hey!" He cried, turning towards her. Despite trying to hide it, she did see the tear escape down his cheek. "What the hell?" She shut the door behind her.

"Out with it." She told him, hands on her hips. "What did he tell you?"

He looked at her for a moment, eyes watery. He flopped on his bed and twiddled his thumbs on his lap. "He just said that you were engaged." *sniffle* "And I ran away after that."

She breathed an inaudible sigh of relief that that's all he knew. Her secret would remain a secret for a little while longer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His question made her heart hurt.

"I told you we had a thing, didn't I?" She replied, forcing herself to be nonchalant.

"Having a 'thing'" he said using exaggerated air quotes "is not the same thing as being ENGAGED." His voice choked and cracked at the end of his statement. For the first time in years, she felt tears well up behind her eyes.

"Po, it lasted all of three weeks." She said softly. He looked up at her in confusion.

"Three weeks?"

"Yes." She sniffled. A single tear escaped when her brown eyes met his emerald ones. "The engagement, relationship, whatever you want to call it. It lasted three weeks before we realized that we couldn't keep up a romance."

She sat next to him on the bed and folded her arms across her chest.

"Why did you break up?" he asked.

"Personal reasons." She shrugged. He stood up from the bed suddenly.

"Again with the lying." He muttered.

"Po, what the hell do you mean by that?"

"What? You don't even trust me enough to tell me why you broke up, much less that you were engaged." His sad tears were replaced with bitter, angry ones.

"Po, this happened ten years ago. I was eighteen and barely a master when it happened. I wasn't ready to be with a man forever that I didn't even love." She shrugged, voice rising defensively.

"But that's not it, is it?"

She hesitated at his observation. "Ha! You are keeping things from me!"

"You keep things from me too, Po." She reminded him, standing up. _How could he get so angry at something that doesn't matter anymore? Why was he so defensive?_

"Like what?"

"Like what happened in Gongmen? You haven't even told what happened. And suddenly, your father appears out of nowhere?" She retorted. "And the second we ask you to explain, you get defensive and start talking about radishes."

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!" Her voice climbed higher. "Everybody in the Five has secrets, Po. Maybe you need to learn to accept that."

"Like how you accepted me when I first got here?" The room went cold and quiet very suddenly. Tigress' arms dropped. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. Of course, what he said was defensive, but it still cut deeply. Even after apologizing, their little "talk" in the hallway when he first got there still kept her up at night.

Of the three years she had known him, she never knew he could be so harsh.

She backed away from him as it dawned on him what he had just said. "Tigress. I-"

"I didn't tell you because of a very personal reason," Her voice was very soft, and it scared him, "and if you can't deal with that, then maybe you should stay away from me."

With that, she turned and left the room.

A/N: THAT. JUST. HAPPENED.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I AM SO SORRY.

Originally, I was going to post this chapter last night, but I ended up hangin' with a guy friend until almost two in the morning watching the original, unaltered editions of Star Wars. SO COOL BTW!

Anyways, shout out to my reviewers and readers from across the globe! I found out this morning that I have readers from 13 different countries. I am so honored that you read my story.

*hugs* to everybody. I love you all!

On to the chapter!

P.S: Marionette, check your PMs

Tigress was used to being alone. She had spent most of her orphanage days locked in a small room, and, even after being adopted, she spent a lot of her childhood by herself. Still, that didn't make it hurt any less when Po stopped talking to her.

All through dinner, he avoided her eyes. Every time Shifu or the Emperor (who had decided to grace them with his presence) threw him a question, he would answer happily. Then, he would go right back into his meek silence. It both frustrated and exhausted her. His happy demeanor and care-free attitude wAs something she had unknowingly fallen in love with. It had rooted itself in her chest and now felt like it had been yanked out.

 _How pathetic,_ part of her cursed. _Tell him you were wrong, tell hIm the truth,_ the other part of her pushed back stubbornly.

She left the table early, ignoring the stares of her fellow diners. She needed room to think.

Rather than go back to her room, she left the main part of the palace and went through the little space between the library and the government offices buildings. Back in that little area was a massive tree, almost the size of the two buildings and about that height. This tree had been at the palace for almost one hundred years. When she had come the first time, this was her favorite place to think.

She placed a foot on the bark and pulled herself up onto one of the lower hanging branches, letting her feet swing freely. She tried desperately to not think of Po, and decided to focus on the task at hand.

The fact that money had been taken from the vaults freely told her that whoever took it probably new the ins and outs of the palace, or even lived there. It had to be someone who could get past guards. The normal palace staff like the maids and butlers coud not go down there. It was probably safe to assume that the Emperor's advisors couldn't either. That left the Emperor himself, Liang, Ni Chang, and Li Tong.

 _But why though?_ Kept repeating in her head. Why would they steal money from a vault that was easily accessible. She looked toward the sky, as it was just beginning to get dark. She got the sudden idea that, if she wanted to know where Ni Chang went, maybe she should check his study. Liang had told her once that all three of them had one. His study would be hard to get to, mostly because she wouldn't be able to get past the guards.

She decided to ask Liang for help, since he was the Emperor's son. She hopped down from her branch and made her way back to the palace. She spotted him making his way to the library and jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey. I heard what happened with Po." He sighed, stopping to talk with her. "If it makes it easier to tell him the truth, then you can. I would understand."

"I'll talk with him. He's rather angry with me right now. I don't want to poke the bear, so-to-speak."

"I get it. Was there something you needed?"

"Actually yes. I was wondering if you could help me break into your brother's study. Something about the bank break in doesn't seem right to me. I was to poke around a bit." She shrugged, looking at him hopefully. It was a lot to ask, but she couldn't do it without him.

He thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I could. I won't be able to walk you past the guards, but I can help you sneak in through the window. Wait till my father goes to bed first. I'll come get you." She nodded and made her way back to her room.

Several hours later, the snow started. It was only a few flakes at first, but by the time she began scaling the palace walls to get to the window, it had turned into a flurry.

She pulled herself through the window and shook the flakes from her auburn head.

"Is it bad out there?" asked Liang, concern in his eyes. He locked the study door almost as soon as she got inside and then bolted the window shut. She pulled the curtains shut behind her.

"Not too awful. It will be tougher getting down though." She replied. She peeked through the curtains and could see four stories down to the ground, now lightly covered with white specks. "It'll be interesting to see what we can find." She began going through Ni Chang's thick wooden desk, while Liang began searching the bookshelves. She dug through his drawers, looking at every bit of paper in his desk. She sighed when she found nothing of use. She then began to go through his drawers again. In the middle drawer, something odd touched her hand. She removed the stack of papers and saw a small piece of silk ribbon sitting on the bottom of the drawer. She pulled it, and the bottom of the drawer came out. She lifted the false bottom and found underneath it, a book.

"Find something?" asked Liang, coming to stand behind her and looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah." She turned the book over in her hands. "The Practices of Accounting in European Histories." She frowned.

"Wait a sec." He stood up and began scanning the book shelf once more.

As he looked for something, she flipped through the book. There wasn't anything of interest until she reached a page with a small envelope tucked in towards the back. She unfolded the envelope and skimmed through the letter it contained.

"Hey, I think I found something." Liang murmured.

"I did, too." She replied just as quietly. "Ni Chang had a lover." She held up the letter. "This is a woman's handwriting."

"What does it say?" he asked, fiddling with something in the bookshelf.

"I don't know. It's all in Mongolian." She gave him a look and held up the envelope.

"Well, shit." He muttered. He sat back on his haunches in surprise.

"What are you doing?" she asked, moving towards him.

"This." He pulled a book and the entire bookcase moved slightly, revealing a small doorway behind it. "The book you had in your hand, there was a duplicate on the shelf. It was a fake."

"Nice going." She murmured in appreciation. "I'll go on. You stay here and keep an eye on things." She peered through the door and saw a spiral staircase built into the wall. She began her descent down the stairs.

The stone staircase must have continued down for several stories. She rubbed her arms, staving off the cold, dank tunnel. When she reached the bottom, all she found was more stone. It was like a dead end. She began feeling along the wall, looking for a lever of some kind. A door opened when she pressed a certain brick. All she found when she entered was another brick room, sealed by a large, steel door. _I must be in the vault._ Her eyes widened. She returned to the staircase and began sprinting up the stairs and back toward the study. She stopped when she heard voices.

"-you think you can come here?" The Emperor. She clapped a hand over her own mouth. Liang must have pushed back the bookcase when he heard his father coming.

"I am sorry, father. I came to take back a book that Ni Chang borrowed from me. That's all." Liang replied. He didn't sound nervous.

"Your brother is missing and all you care about is a damn book?" The Emperor roared.

"Well, I would go looking for him if you'd let me leave the palace. I hate being a prisoner here." There was a loud _snap_ as the Emperor's palm hit his son's cheek. Tigress winced.

"Leave. Now." The Emperor declared, his voice angry and deep. A few moments later, she heard a sigh. "I do not know what to do with him." There was a creak as the study door opened and closed again, and the click of a lock. She waited for a few more minutes to make sure she was alone.

She peeked her head out with relief and moved from behind the bookcase. _Guess it's back through the window,_ she thought.

She unlocked the window and scurried over the window sill. She did her best to shut the window behind her and made her way down the wall. Liang was waiting for her.

"What did you find?" he asked excitedly, his eyes lit up.

"First of all, are you okay?" she asked, she moved his face to the side to look at the red welt across his cheek.

" 'M fine." He mumbled, touching the red welt defensively. "Looks worse than it is. So, what did you find?"

"I found his vault." She said simply. "I think I know how the money was stolen."

N/A: I promise this all connects in the end! This story will be kind of long, but I hope it will be worth it.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gaaaaaaaaal (anybody remember that cartoon? That was my childhood).

If you haven't seen Moana yet, I highly recommend it. The soundtrack alone is enough to make me want to see it again and again (and is what I am listening to while writing).

Anways, onto the story!

Enjoy

Viper tried to keep herself from annoying the Empress, but she couldn't help herself. She had never been to Mongolia before, much less been a prisoner in the Mongolian prison. She was curious.

She learned that the man who had been following her was an agent of the Empress, and that they were currently twenty miles north of the Mongolian-Chinese border. When the Mongolian agent had seen Viper, he panicked, thinking she was a spy, and drugged her in her sleep.

Xué insisted she change into more comfortable clothing, a green vest and black slacks. She was also given a robe to go over top, since the winter chill was beginning to rear its head. When she was done, Xué lead her to her study.

The Imperial Palace of Mongolia was much smaller than the Chinese one. It was more like a winter home. Still, the place was massive. With tall white hallways and massive windows, the place was like an ice castle.

"So," Xué began when they entered her study, "I know why you were in Xiongxang."

"You do?" Viper frowned. Xué gestured for her to sit in the small wooden chair opposite of the desk. The room was a stark contrast to the rest of the mansion, with mahogany walls and dark floors.

"We received a declaration of war from your Emperor three days ago." She sighed. "I assume you are here looking for the Emperor's son."

"Yes, I am. I heard he came through Xiongxang."

"He didn't just come through here." She reached into her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. Once she had looked it over, she handed it to the master. "My husband chose to remain in the capitol city to train our troops. It has allowed me to do my own digging."

Viper gave the paper a once over, then looked up, eyebrows furrowed. "I do not understand."

"We have had strict border patrol along the Mongolian border for many decades. They only way to come into the country is by either showing travel papers, or by being a citizen. That," She gestured to the paper, "is Ni Chang's application to be a citizen. That piece of paper was almost lost. I caught some of my troops trying to burn that, along with other documents." She sat back in the chair. Viper glanced between her and the paper rapidly.

"So this is bigger than we thought?" She asked softly, shoulders slumping slightly. She was frustrated, mostly. All she wanted to do was find Liang and bring him back. She didn't know there would be a scandal involved, too.

"I am afraid so." Xué looked deep in thought. "Have you been able to get in touch with your friends at the imperial palace?"

"I tried sending a letter, but I do not know if it sent." Viper shrugged.

"I have known your Emperor for many years. He was at our wedding." She stood from her desk. "I have tried writing him, I have tried going to him. He will not listen."

"I can try." Viper told her. Xué looked up in surprise. "I'll take that to him. I'll try to convince him."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes." Viper nodded, determined.

"Well then, I should get you a horse." She replied with a small smile.

Tigress held the parchment in both hands, eyes wide. She read it once more, just to be sure she read it right the first time. She then leaned back against the wall.

It had been two days since her unintended vault heist, and she had somehow managed not to get caught. Liang and she hadn't talked since then, and she and Po hadn't had an actual conversation since then either. She felt absurdly lonely.

That all changed when she received a letter from Viper.

She tucked the letter under her pillow and left her room, determined to find Liang. Instead, she almost ran smack into Po.

"Oh, sorry." She panicked, unsure what else to say.

"Hey, look," He rubbed the back of his head anxiously, "I'm sorry." She looked at him, surprised by his words. "I have my own secrets that I don't share. Why should I be mad at you for doing the same thing?"

She didn't know how to respond, so she just hugged him tightly. He responded in kind and they just stood there in the hallway, clinging to one another.

She pulled away and looked up at him, brown eyes meeting jade ones. "Po, him and I, we're done. There's nothing left between us. Do you believe me?"

"Of course." He replied.

She smiled. "Good, because I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

She may have had a small smile on her face, but her insides were beaming. The last two days without him had been almost intolerable.

"I need to go find Liang. Would you like to come with me?" she asked. He frowned.

"What's up?" he asked.

"It's better that I start from the beginning."

A/N: Shout out to Marionette J2X who wants to do cover art for me! Also, I got a tumblr finally. Follow me-boombamfirepowerme

Sorry this chapter is a little bit shorter


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey guys! Just a quick thing before I continue with this story. I am currently in the U.S, and as you probably may know, we have an inauguration today. To all of my readers, and every person on fanfiction, I love you guys. I don't care if you're black, white, Asian, straight, bisexual, strictly religious or strictly a partier. Politics won't change that.

I promise I won't go much farther into politics than that, but I wanted to get that off my chest first.

Second thing: I am updating whenever I can, which may be sporadic because everything tends to explode on me all at once. Love you all! Thanks for the patience!

The Emperor had always been a man of a smaller stature- Li Tong was taller than him by at least a head. Still, though, when the Emperor got angry, he was a force to be reckoned with. Li Tong, try as he might to keep his face stoic, was finding the Emperor's current anger to be quite taxing. The worst part was that, since summoning Li Tong to his study, the Emperor hadn't spoken a word.

"You're Grace? Is something the matter?" Li Tong asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The Emperor's head whipped around in surprise, as it seemed he had forgotten about his assistant. He had been looking out the window, watching the figures of the Dragon Warrior and Tigress cross the courtyard out back. "Something is off." He muttered, more to himself than his servant.

"Majesty?"

"They are off." He gestured to the two figures, who had just entered the library. "Always speaking to Liang in private, keeping to themselves. Then suddenly, Tigress gets a mysterious letter." His eyes had a dangerous, far away look. "They are conspiring."

"Sir?" Li Tong's eyes widened, watching the Emperor with caution. The ruler's eyes still had that glassy, far-off look. It was the same look he had had when he declared war on Mongolia. Li Tong only saw it before the man went into fits of rage.

"Shifu didn't bring them here to help him train. He brought them here so they could plan something." He looked at Li Tong directly.

"Your Highness, the Dragon Warrior and his friend have had constant supervision. There is no way they could-"

"They are Kung fu Masters, Li Tong." The Man blinked slowly. "Are you really that naïve?"

"What would you like me to do, sir?" Li Tong had a very bad feeling in his gut. Since before he had started working at the palace, he had heard the tales of the extent of the Emperor's sudden bouts of anger. In the ten years since he began here, he had seen many fits. Once, the leader had cut out the tongue of a miner, simply because the man had stated that the Empress was beautiful. He was dreading his leader's next move, because he knew it would be rash.

"Kill them."

Those were the two words he had not expected. "Sir," he cried out indignantly, "What if China finds out? The Master's council? You will be executed."

"I WILL NOT HAVE TREASON!" The man roared. Li Tong stepped back, suddenly fearful. The Emperor grabbed the front of the man's robe and pulled him close harshly. They were so close that they could see the blood vessels in each others eyes. "You will make sure that they are dead by morning, and you will do it quietly, or it will be your head on a _stake."_ He released the man and left his study, headed towards his chambers.

Li Tong trembled. His chest heaved in dramatic fashion, and his head pulsed with his heart. His heart. It was tearing in two.

He had to warn them.

"Li Tong," Tigress called out once they had entered the library. The Prince was sitting at a desk,, leafing through a novel.

"Why, hello." He took a look at their faces and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Are you okay?" Asked Po, noticing the light bruise that decorated Liang's cheek.

"Yeah," the prince shrugged, "It is not nearly as bad as it looks. Tigress, have you caught Po up?"

She quickly told the Dragon Warrior everything, from Ni Chang's disappearance to the vault heist she had gone on. He listened with wide eyes.

When she was finished, he looked between the two of them. "So, what does that letter have to do with it?"

"Viper wrote this and sent it three days ago. She said that, after talking to an innkeeper, she found that Ni Chang was in Xiongxang," she took a breath, "willingly. According to Viper, the two took off up north." She watched Liang's reaction, waiting for a sign of anger or sadness. His green eyes reflected a little of both.

"So, then, what does that mean?" He asked.

"I have a theory." Po said, his eyebrows scrunched in thought. "You said that the secret passage in the office led to the vault?" Tigress nodded. "So, the money that was in the vault was brought up into the office?"

"That's what we think." Liang said. "I talked to one of the guards. He said there was no tampering with the vault door. It was like somebody just opened it and walked right in. "

"So," Po said, "Somebody brings the gold up into the office, hides it here. Then, they somehow sneak it out from there."

"That would make sense." Liang said. "Ni Chang got back from his trip two days after the vault break in. He left again a day later with some guards. 'Said he felt unsafe."

"So, the guards help him smuggle the gold out of the office, and he offers them a cut in return." Tigress finished.

"And if he had a lady friend, that money could be used to get them both settled in Mongolia." Po replied.

"If he was paying guards," Liang murmured, "that means we are probably being watched." The trio went quiet.

"We'll have to be quiet and lay low." Tigress whispered. "Po, it's late. We should head to bed." He nodded in reply and the two looked towards the Emperor's eldest.

"Liang," Po said, "sleep well." The man nodded and the two warriors left the building.

When they entered their own building, the two parted ways with a hug and entered their own rooms.

It was just past midnight when Tigress heard a creak. She tensed under the silky sheets and waited, waited, and then she jerked up. Someone clasped a hand over her mouth and tried to hold her still.

"It's me. IT'S ME." It was Li Tong whispering in the dark. She stopped struggling and he let her go.

"Are you _insane?"_ She hissed _._ The frowned when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?" He glanced over his shoulder and stepped back to let her get up.

"The Emperor has gone mad. He's ordered your execution. You have to go." His eyes were wild and panicked.

"What?" She couldn't believe it. What had they done to tip him off?

"You have to go." She nodded and stood. She grabbed her bag from under the bed and began stuffing her stuff back into it. She made sure to grab a traveling cloak from the wardrobe. When she was ready and dressed in dark clothing, she went to Po's room and woke him up much the same way Liang had done to her. He squirmed for a bit, but then seemed to understand and began packing in silence. When he was done, the two of them nodded to one another and then looked to Li Tong.

"Follow me." He whispered. The three continued down the hallway and out a door that led into the garden. He led them around the side of the offices building and past the massive tree. Back in this part of the compound, the trees cast shade on the path, making it easy to stay out of sight. Back at the castle, shouts alerted them that their disappearance had been noted. They began to sprint rather than walk.

"This is a servant's path." Li Tong panted. "They use it to bring food suplies up from the city." The other two didn't respond, they just followed him down the trails. Soon enough, they reached a stone wall with an opening for the path. They ran through and met cobblestone streets. Li Tong kept pushing on, moving up at least ten streets. Several blocks ahead, they could see the city gates. Very few people milled about, since it was late at night.

They kept running, huffing and seeing the fog coming from their mouths. Their feet were wet with the snow that covered the ground.

They were so close.

Almost there.

Then an explosion, and darkness.

A/N: 1000 READS! WOOOOOOO! Sorry about the wait for this one guys. I hope it was worth it.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Whaaaaaaat 2 chapters in 2 days? Awesomesauce.

Shout out and love to all the women who marched today. Y'all make me PROUD!

Enjoy!

Also, warning for slight gore/blood.

"GET DOWN!"

The ground seemed to shake with the force of the blast. The house that sat across the street from where they had been running exploded in a fireball. Orange flames licked the night sky as plumes of smoke pervaded the air.

Po had been thrown quite the distance from the blast. He quickly got up and scanned his body, checking for any wounds. He only had a few burns, nothing major. _Tigress._ He quickly scanned the street, but pulled back when another explosion leveled a shop across the road. He stuck his head out once more, but saw nothing.

" _Po!_ " Someone called. Po jerked his head towards the sound. He jogged over a couple of streets and found her, knelt down in a back alley, over Li Tong. _No._ He jogged towards her as another explosion sounded a few streets over.

"Oh no." He murmured. Li Tong was covered in blood, and he lay trembling, face pale and eyes glassy. "What happened?"

"We were running-" She shook her head, obviously shaken," he pushed me out of the way." She was trembling almost as much as Li Tong was. Po felt nauseous just looking at the man. The assistant had blood covering his abdomen, but that didn't stop Po from seeing the giant hole where his intestines should have been.

Another explosion rocked the street. "What the hell is going on?"

"Shen…." The dying man murmured. His head fell, and the last breath left his body.

"Shen?" The two warriors looked at one another. Through a glossy layer of tears, Tigress' eyes widened. "The cannons."

"They must have found them when Shen fell." He replied back with a murmur. Another explosion, this one just a few houses down. "We have to go." He grabbed her arm and made to stand. She hesitated when he started running.

"I don't want to leave him." Try as she might, a few tears escaped down her cheek.

He knelt down once more and cupped her cheek with his hand tenderly. "There's nothing more we can do for him. We have to go or we'll end up the same way." He looked at her imploringly and was relieved when she nodded slightly. He took her hand and they began running. Another house, next to where they had been standing, exploded into a fireball of wood.

The pair were only blocks from the gate when they skidded to a stop. Up ahead were several rows of imperial guardsmen, all holding deadly weapons. Po immediate put himself in front of Tigress, as though he actually needed to protect her. They were poised, ready to fight, when Shifu suddenly landed in front of them in a crouch. They had almost forgotten about him.

"Go. I'll hold them off!" Po didn't even hesitate to grab Tigress' hand and begin running.

"Lower the gates!" Echoed across the buildings. They were so close. Shifu joined up with them just before they made to the gate. Shifu slid under first, Po next, and finally Tigress. However, the gate was to low to the ground for her to slide under. One of the spikes on the bottom of the gate lodged itself deeper into her skin. Shifu grabbed her and pulled her through, but not before a steady stream of blood began trickling down her leg. She shook her head, ignoring the pain, and urging the trio onward. The guards yelled to one another behind her, trapped behind their own gate.

By the time the guards had reopened the gate, the warriors had vanished into the horizon.

Viper's horse, a strong male named Akai, pumped away at the soil with thundering sounds, like the thud of a drum.

The journey to the Imperial city would take only a few hours, especially with how fast they were going. She was only a few minutes away when she noticed the plume of smoke in the air. She stopped in shock as she crested the hill, seeing the fires that ignited the buildings in the distance. Her breath came in pants, puffing out smoke into the cold air. She fought with herself for a moment, unsure of what to do.

With a firm jaw, she grabbed Akai's reigns and turned him around, heading for Gongmen.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Shout out to my new follower! Welcome to the crazy!

I am sorry that my last chapter was so short. With the way that I planned out this story, it was just easier to have one short chapter than a super long one. I generally know where I want this story to go, so chapters may be a little farther a part while I figure out how to place everything.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter! There's a cute moment ahead. Brace yourselves for the light fluffiness.

Tigress collapsed on the ground, legs unable to sustain her body weight any longer.

After almost two solid hours of running, the trio had made it several miles northwest of the Imperial city. IfTigress hadn't been injured, they could have run clear to Gongmen, but the large gash down her thigh was slowing her down. She had eventually tripped over the root of a large tree, and the two men stopped.

"Tigress, we need to keep moving." Shifu made his way over to her and knelt down beside her. "Can you walk?" His voice was stern, but quiet, a tell tale sign that he was stressing out.

She tried to force herself to get up, but loss of blood made her dizzy and every step on her leg was met with blinding pain. Even being the hardcore master that she was, she couldn't keep going. "I can't." she said inbetween pants. She looked up to him, afraid of disappointment. Instead, she found his expresson to be a mix of concern and caring. It was one she rarely saw on him.

Shifu nodded. Even Tigress had her limits, and she had probably hit them a mile back. "Po, run ahead, see if you can't find any form of shelter. I have a feeling Imperial troops will be on us in no time." The Dragon Warrior nodded and disappeared into the trees.

Shifu leaned forward and helped Tigress lean back against the tree whose roots she had just tripped over. He took her pack from her and rifled through it. Down towards the bottom was a small emergency kit, one that she had kept in there for ages. It was limited in its supplies, but it would do the trick until they could get to Gongmen.

He pushed back the torn remnants of her pants where the gash was. The cut was deep, and ran almost six inches down her thigh. It had stopped bleeding, thankfully. He took a cloth from the kit and began wiping the blood from her leg. Once he was done with that, he rummaged in her pack some more and found a small bottle of alcohol that she used as part of her kit. He poured some of that on a cloth but hesitated and looked up at her. It would hurt, big time. She knew that, and she nodded. He put the cloth on quickly and could see the tears of searing pain well up in her eyes. He only held it there for a moment, and when he pulled it away, she sighed in relief and tilted her head back against the tree. He made quick work of bandaging up her thigh. When he was done, he stuffed the contents of the kit bag in their bag and threw it into her pack.

"Glad that's over." She muttered with a laugh, and he laughed lightly. Despite the cold air and snow-topped trees, she was sweating. He was briefly afraid that infection had already begun to set in, but he shook that idea off. No use worrying about things he didn't know.

"I am proud of you." He said quietly. She jerked her head up with surprise.

"Thank you."

"Guys!" Po called from a distance. Shifu cursed under his breath.

"Po," he hissed as the warrior came into view, "we have the entire Imperial army on our tails. Do NOT shout."

Po's face dropped. "I'm sorry Master."

"Did you find anything?"

"Oh yeah. Theres a pretty deep ravine that we are running parallel to right now with a couple caves in the side. One of them looks big enough." He nodded, seemingly happy with himself.

"Good. Po, I will need you to take Tigress from here. I am going to go ahead to Gongmen and see if I can't find help." Po's eyes widened.

"Master, I can try to don't have to-"

"Tigress," he stopped her words with a hand, "You have done enough. Exhausting yourself won't help anything."

Her mouth closed and she sat back, still aggravated at being left behind. She could still go farther, maybe even make it to the city. _But at what cost?_

Shifu glanced up at the tree canopy and back to Po. "I should be back by morning. Keep each other safe." He nodded to the pair and took off through the trees.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Po came over and grabbed Tigress' pack from where it lay on the ground. He slung it over his shoulder and held out a hand to help her up. She took it, but released it once she was on her feet. "'M Fine." She shook off his help and let him lead her through the woods.

They had barely gone halfway there when she tripped for the third time. This time, though, the fell to the ground with a thud. Her entire leg ached, and the pain was beginning to make her vision fuzzy.

"Dammit it Tigress, will you let me help you?" Po said, throwing his hands up helplessly. She startled at his tone of frustration. "You know, you don't have to be so hardcore all the time." His voice dropped down to a murmur. She frowned and let out a sigh. _He was right._ She nodded and he came back over to help her stand up. Once she was steady, he wound his arm around her waist and helped her hobble towards the ravine.

Having most of the weight off helped, and by the time they got to the cave she didn't feel like she would pass out. Once inside, He set her down gingerly against the back wall and then set about going through their things. He pulled out the blanket he had packed, along with her cloak. He had thrown some food into his bag, so he pulled that out too.

"It's going to get cold." He murmured. "I'm going to see if I can't find firewood." He was about to leave when she called out to him.

"Po," he turned slowly, "thank you." His eyebrows furrowed. He seemed to be debating came back into the cave and knelt down next to her. Before she could even react, he kissed her lightly. It was nothing more than a quick press of his lips on hers before he pulled away. He then turned and left, leaving her feeling alone, confused, and just the slightest bit content.

A/N: AWWWW you guys don't understand, I have seriously been waiting to write that scene for FOREVER. Next chapter, we learn more about Liang. Toodles *waves*


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey my dudes! So, I decided that, rather than update whenever I can, I will try to post new chapters on Wednesdays and Saturdays. If for some reason that doesn't work for y'all, hit me up and we'll figure something out.

Enjoy this chapter!

It was late afternoon that Po returned with a handful of wood for a small fire. Seeing as how they were in a cave, he opted to leave the fire small, lest they be smoked out or discovered. He piled on the logs and set aside a few for later in the night. After he had done that, he took a stick and began trying to start the fire.

Tigress watched as he tried to start the fire, and then grumbled when he failed. After a moment of watching, she scooted forward the best she could and placed a hand on his, stopping him. "Move your hands downward as you turn it." He glanced at her, an eyebrow raised, and then looked back to his hands. He began doing as she told him, and small puffs of drifted into the air.

"Thanks." He told her once the fire had gotten started. He shifted so his back was against the wall. She opted to remain where she was, because she was cold and the fire warmed her frozen fingers and toes.

The silence was awkward between them, mostly because both of them acknowledged the kiss that happened, but didn't want to talk about it. Tigress scooted against the wall and leaned her head back so it was touching the cool stone.

"I'm sorry." Po said quietly. She jerked her head up and glanced at him with an imploring expression. "About Li Tong, I mean. You two seemed close."

She thought on that for a moment, and the conclusion she came to was that she didn't deserve Po. Not in the slightest. She had lied to him about her engagement, and still hid some of the truth from him now. On his first night at the palace, she had told him to pack his bags. It stunned her that he could even kiss her goodbye, much less console her on the loss of her friend.

"Po," she sighed, her shoulders fell," I guess it's about time I told you a story."

Viper was riding so fast that she made it to Gongmen within an hour. Master Wolfe, who had seen her coming from the new Master's Council tower, met her at the gate.

"What happened?" He asked, eyes wide. She dismounted from her horse and stretched out her sore legs.

"It's the Imperial city. Parts of the city re in flames. I didn't even make it to the gate. I think they must have been onto Master Shifu." She replied, out of breath.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"We need to help them."

"Ti?" Po furrowed his eyebrows. She had been quiet for a moment, lost in her own thoughts.

She glanced at him. "I told you that I met Liang when I was eighteen?" He nodded. "Well, when we met, we hit it off. We had a lot in common. I had just become a master at the time, and I was supposed to visit for a few days. Over the course of those three days, Liang and I became inseparable. It was nice having a friend, since the others had not joined the Jade palace yet. So when he proposed," she shrugged and looked down at her hands, "I didn't refuse." She looked up at Po's pained expression. "Our engagement lasted only three weeks. I broke it off," she hesitated, "because I found out that he had a lover."

"Liang?" Po looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. "But, why?"

"His affair was illegal, Po. He would have been beheaded if his father found thought that marrying me would somehow stop it. That was, until I caught them together."

"Who was it?"

"You know who." She said, still not quite willing to say it out loud. After almost ten years, that day was still one of the most mortifying days of her life. Po's face was confused for a moment until he understood, and then he just looked at her.

"NO?" Po's eyes were wide, and she couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "Li Tong?" She nodded. He started laughing in loud guffaws, and she laughed in response.

"He was so terrified of his father finding out that he proposed to me. So, I went and talked with his father, told him that I wanted to train and not leave the Jade Palace. He understood, I bolted, and Liang declared religious solitude so he wouldn't have to marry ever again." She shrugged as his laughter died down. "That's why we are so close. I am the only one he has ever told."

"And you told me?" Po's face had gone serious.

"Of course." She replied. "I trust you." She looked at him and couldn't look away.

"I am sorry though, about Li Tong. That's got to be awful for Liang." She nodded in thanks for him being concerned about her friend. "Thank you for telling me."

The cave went quiet quiet once again. She looked towards the fire, hoping the flames would cover the light blush along her cheeks. Despite being near it, her fingers and toes still felt numb. The only good thing about the cold as that it helped the pain in her thigh. She winced though as she tried to near the flames. Po looked over.

"How's your leg?" He asked quietly.

"It hurts." She replied shortly. Really, the pain was just irritating her. He moved over and kneeled beside her. His sudden proximity startled her. However, she jerked even more when he placed his palm right over the giant gash. The tell tale glow of chi illuminated the cave even more. She hissed at the pain, and leaned her head back. He let up after a moment, and it wasn't until then that she realized she was sweating. She did notice though that the pain subsided quite a bit. Po's chi lessons were getting better.

"I see why it takes a long time to heal people. I'm dizzy." He said into the quiet. He scooted back, eyes closed, so he was against the wall and she moved to sit next to him.

"Thank you." She sad softly. His eyes opened slightly and he peered at her. They didn't break eye contact. Frustrated with the closeness, Ti initiated by wrapping a hand around his neck and pulling him forward so their lips met. He was surprised at first, but melded into it.

This time, it would last longer than a second.

A/N: So... that happened. Just a heads up, I won't be doing anything smutty or lemon-y in this story, frankly because I don't think the story calls for it. I may throw in citrus-y stuff though. We'll see ;) Also, keep an eye out for more one-shots from me because I have other ideas.

B-y-bye


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Another chapter, as promised! I think this whole Wednesday-Saturday thing is going to work out pretty well. I like being consistent about things. Check out my other one shots that I will be posting later this weekend. Let me know what I can do to improve my writing.

This chapter is a little longer. Enjoy!

Shifu was not a man to freak out. However, when he heard the rumbling of horses' hooves n the distance, even he jolted up and made to hide. Scattering from the old worn merchant path, he dove behind a nearby tree and held his breath, hoping that whoever it was was just passing through. However, when the rider came by, he peeked from behind to see who it was. A shot of black hair and a green vest had him running out onto the path.

"VIPER!" The young girl had already passed, but somehow still manged to hear his call. She yanked on Akai's reigns and he practically slid to a stop.

"Shifu?" At first, she thought she had imagined it, but that changed when she saw her small, grey haired master on the path a few paces back. She dismounted from her horse and ran to him. He was surprised when she hugged him tightly. "Oh, sorry." She murmured, letting him go and scooting back a few steps.

"What are you doing?" Shifu brushed her off. His blue eyed gaze was intense.

"Looking for you." She shrugged. "I was heading to the Imperial city when I saw the smoke. Then I made my way to Gongmen. The Master's council went to aid the Emperor and his rescue efforts. I was sent to look for you." She looked at him and then frowned. "Where are Po and Tigress?"

"Tigress was injured. I left them near the ravine to find help." He gestured in towards the west where he had come from.

"Well, here I am. Gongmen is only about half a Li that way." She pointed behind her where she had been riding to in the first place. "I'll go see if I can't help them," She returned to Akai and mounted him swiftly.

"Be safe." She nodded in reply and took off once more.

Po sat just outside the cave, enjoying the brief sunshine that seemed lately to be eluding them. The fire had long since gone out, but he didn't bother to relight it during the daytime. Smoke would draw too much attention.

He leaned his head back against the cold stone and fought off taking a nap. "You look comfy." Made his open his eyees with a small smile.

"I could nap like this." He said groggily. She chuckled and awkwardly lowered herself down to sit beside him.

"I packed up most of our stuff. I figured he'd be back at some point today." She leaned her head back like him.

"How is your leg?" He opened one eye to peek at her.

"It's fine. I think we should try to get moving." Po's head jerked over to look at her in surprise. "I hate staying here. I don't like how easy of a target we are."

"I know what you're trying to do. Ti, you are hurt. You trying to walk isn't going to help anything." She sighed grumpily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sometimes we just have to take it easy." She didn't reply. Instead, she sat there with a stiff jaw.

Po suddenly jerked up and sat upright, listening. "Po, what's wrong?"

"Someone's coming." He stood quickly and helped her to her feet. She was able to hobble back inside, but he was right. Her leg felt better, but her thigh was still achey and stiff. Walking would not have been an option.

The thundering of horse's hooves pounded nearby and then suddenly stopped. They knew they were here. The two warriors held their breath.

"Tigress?" It was Viper.

"Viper?" Tigress limped out of the cave and peered out. She almost called out again when she was practically tackled to the ground by a black haired woman. "Viper." The smaller warrior hugged her tightly.

"I saw the Imperial city in flames and I started freaking out." Viper let her curly haired friend go as Po exited the cave to join the women.

"How did you find us?" He asked.

"I met Shifu on the way to Gongmen. He told me where to find you."

"Gongmen?" Po's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, it's a long story. I think I know what's going on, though. I brought a horse. We should be able to make it back pretty quickly. " Viper led them out of the cave and up the ravine towards Akai, who waited patiently. With Po practically carrying her, Tigress was able to make it up onto flat ground with little pain. Getting on the horse would be interesting.

Po actually solved that problem. He climbed up first and then grabbed her hand and lifted her easily behind him. Viper got on last.

The path back to Gongmen was surprisingly uneventful. A brief detour around an Imperial patrol was all they encountered.

When the trio reached Gongmen, Master Wolfe and Grandmaster Shifu stood waiting. Wolfe helped Tigress get down, seeing as how the trip had made her leg somewhat numb.

"Glad you all made it safely." Wolfe stated in his deep voice. Po got so excited that he fell off Akai and almost startled the equine.

"It's Master Wolfe. THE Master Wolfe. I'm such a huge faaaan." He stood up and began shaking the Master's hand excitedly.

"I am pleased to meet you as well, Dragon Warrior." He replied with a bow of his head. Po couldn't keep still-he kept dancing around in excitement. The girls wached him with small smiles on their faces. Shifu looked like he wanted to smack the crap out of him.

"Po." The big guy stopped and stood there like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Shifu glared at him with steely blue eyes.

"We have some things to discuss. If you all will follow me." Master Wolfe led them past the gates to the new Master's Council tower. It was a stark contrast from the old one, with its white façade. Po still got chills looking at it.

"This is weird." He murmured, glancing up at the white building.

"I agree." Tigress replied just as quiet. Wolfe led them through the front doors and they were met with a large wooden table, covered in maps of China and other various documents. No one else was there, giving the room an eery, empty feeling.

"Where is everyone?" Po asked Wolfe. The larger man shook his head.

"Many of them have their own training facilities. We only meet here once a year." Po nodded in understanding.

"Master Shifu, I figured something out." Said Viper once they had gotten to the table. "Empress Xue gave me this while I was in Mongolia." She handed him the same document the Empress had given her.

While Shifu perused it, Po asked "Why were you in Mongolia?"

"Again, a long story." Viper shrugged.

"He applied for a visa?" Shifu frowned.

"Yes. It seemed that after he was granted entry, several Mongolian guards were trying to burn his documents so that the record of him entering Mongolia was erased." Viper explained.

"That makes sense. Your letter told me he escaped there with a woman. Liang told me that shortly before he went missing, his vault at the palace was robbed almost half a million yuan. We assumed he used that to get into Mongolia." Tigress elaborated.

"But something still doesn't make sense. That much money wouldn't have been allowed into Mongolia, especially since it is Chinese money. If he entered with that much, it would have had to pass through a special level of security to make sure it wasn't stolen. That would raise major red flags" Shifu interjected.

Tigress let her eyes scan over the table while they discussed. Something caught her eye, and she moved around the table to stand next to Po so she could grab it. He was to busy talking to notice. She scanned it over and then bumped his shoulder. He frowned, breakingoff his conversation to look at it as well. His eyes widened and he glanced at her before taking the sheet and rereading it over again.

"Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" Wolfe asked, watching the two.

"I think we found out what he did with money." Tigress said, her voice hollow. Po passed the sheet to Shifu and let the three of them look over it.

"Oh no." Shifu murmured.

"What does it mean?" Viper frowned, looking between them.

"This is a record of all manufacturing demands from sword makers for the Chinese army. They recently received in investment of over three hundred _thousand_ yuan from an anonymous donor." Wolfe said aloud.

"Shit." Shifu cursed, earning the surprised glances of his comrades.

"He planned all of this." Tigress said into the quiet.

"What do we do now?" Asked Viper.

"We stop a War."

A/N: Let me know what you think. Love you!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hey guys. HUGE apology for not updating Wednesday like I said I would. My dog had to be put down yesterday, so this entire week has been thrown off kilter so that I could drive the three hours home to be with my family.

Shout out to my new follower! Thank you guys for reading my story. I will try to post a second chapter this weekend to make up for not posting two days ago.

Enjoy.

Tigress let out a breath. The nurse must have registered her pain, because the small woman began apologizing and trying to work faster.

"It's ok." The redhead murmured. The small nurse nodded and continued working. She removed a needle and thread from her bag that she had brought and began sewing the wound on Tigress' thigh closed for good. The five warriors had all been talking in the main hall when she suddenly felt dizzy. If not for Po, she would have fallen over. Wolfe had insisted she get medical help, much to her chagrin. She drew the line when Po tried to carry her to the medic- she could hobble just fine on her own.

The nurse, Jiang Mao, told her that, if Po hadn't tried his chi, Tigress would have had quite the case of a blood infection. The only thing she could do now was keep from tearing her stitches so that it could heal properly. The situation in the Imperial city had no real leads, which was good since she couldn't fight.

Mao finished her stitches and then wrapped it loosely so that the wound wouldn't rub against her pant leg. When they grey-haired nurse was through, she disappeared. A few moments later, she reappeared with fresh clothing and a damp wash cloth inside a basin of water.. Tigress thanked her and waited for her to leave so she could change.

Taking the wash cloth, she stripped down and she wiped herself free of the dirt and grime from the last twenty-four hours . She then glanced at the basin, debating, before undoing her braid and sticking her entire head of hair into the water. Having her head suddenly wet and clean made her feel so much better.

She removed her head from the wash basin and rung the water from her curls. Shifu had told her as a teenager that she could keep her hair long as long as it didn't interfere with her training, so she braided it back almost every day. It was down to her waist now, and more ringlets now than the springs she had on her head as a child. The water made it increasingly heavy.

Once the majority of the water was out of her hair, she put on the new set of clothing- it consisted of black pants and a long-sleeve green vest.

Voices outside drew her to her to the window. She glanced out from the third floor and saw Po and Shifu training in the courtyard with Wolfe. Viper sat drinking tea and watching them figure out some move. Tigress limped out of the room and down the stairs with the intention of joining them. As she made her way to the courtyard, she brushed through her hair with her fingers.

The sunlight felt good when she stepped outside. The boys took no notice of her as she carefully sat next to Viper to watch.

"What are they doing?" She whispered.

"Master Wolfe asked Po to show him Chi. He was one of the few Master's who wasn't in China when Kai attacked." Viper whispered back. Tigress flinched at the mention of Kai.

A small golden glow caught her attention, and she watched as Wolfe's hands began to glow. She smiled slightly at his startled expression. The glow stopped and the three of them just looked between themselves happily.

A sudden flapping noise caused Wolfe to look up, and the Master's faces fell as a pigeon landed on the stone in front of him. Viper stood and helped her injured friend up.

"What is it?" She called as Wolfe took the message from the bird's leg. The Imperial seal stood out against the white parchment like blood on skin.

"From the Emperor." He scanned over it. "He has asked you all to return to the Imperial city. Apparently Ni Chang has been found."

"WHAT?"

"Po," Shifu shot the young man a glare. Po skittered away from him and came to stand next to Tigress, " Does it say anything else?"

"No, just that he wishes to speak with you all personally. He said that he would like to apologize." Wolfe looked at the three of them.

"Master, what do you suggest?" Tigress asked softly. Shifu looked at her, eyebrows furrowed and eyes filled with varying emotions. He looked at her for a moment.

"Can you walk?" He asked her. She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That won't be necessary. We have carriages you all can take. " Wolfe chimed in.

"What about me, master?" Viper asked.

"Come with us. With Tigress injured, we will need another able-bodied fighter." Viper nodded at Shifu's response, Tigress clenched her jaw. Po bumped her shoulder lightly.

"You think there will be a fight?" Po asked.

"I do not know, but it is illogical not to prepare for one." Wolfe nodded towards the old master.

"I will go and get a carriage. " Wolfe stated. "You all should pack. I can send you will provisions." He nodded and left the courtyard. Shifu nodded to them and left as well, Viper trailing behind. Tigress went to leave, but Po stopped her.

"How are you holding up?" He glanced down at her thigh and back to her face.

"It hurts, but it's nothing I can't handle." She gave him a small smile. "Thank you, by the way." She bumped his shoulder and he frowned, confused. "The nurse said if not for your chi, it would have gotten infected." She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "I owe you again."

She left him alone in the courtyard to sigh.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: *peeks out from behind bookshelf* Hello? I'M SO SORRY! I can't even begin to tell you how crazy this week has been. Added to the fact that the procrastination bug bit me in the ass and writing has been a no go. Thanks to a long, thoughtful shower, I know how I am going to continue and eventually end this story. Please bear with me as I continue this. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

ALSO, I have a page on wattpad (same name). I will be posting a new story there, so check it out. Follow me. Leave a comment. Whatever you peeps like to do.

Anyways, I love you guys! Enjoy!

The moon shone rather bright up above, giving the clouds a faint, silvery glow and illuminating the path in front of them. The air was cold and fresh, and snow patches still dotted the ground.

The only sound that could be heard was the thumping of the horse that drew the carriage along. Simple in design, it served them well. Walking would have taken a day or two, time that they did not have. Even with the horses, it would still take them several hours. Shifu, Po, and Viper rested inside, after Tigress insisted she take the reigns. She needed the cold air.

"Hey." She turned her head just enough to watch Po climb up onto the seat beside her. Her peripheral vision remained on the path lest they hit an animal.

"Hello." She replied cooly. "Get any sleep?"

He shrugged. "Some, but not much. Can't stop thinking about tomorrow." He looked at her out of the corners of his eyes.

"You think it's a trap?" She asked, although she knew his answer.

"Of course. It just seems too coincidental not to be."He rested his hands behind him on the seat and leaned back, watching the clouds. "I just hope we make it back in time for the Winter Feast."

"I hope so. I could use some of your dad's soup right about now."

"Me too. And dumplings, and bean buns, and rice cakes, and-"

"Po."

"wontons, and-"

"PO." He jerked his head around to look at her. "We're here." He glanced out ahead at the large towers of the Imperial palace.

(Awkward transition dance ˷. _. ˷)

The first sight they were met with in the main courtyard was Liang, standing alone, hands behind his back. Po helped her awkwardly down from the coach. When she reached the ground, the four of them stood some distance from Liang, as if unsure how to approach him. He made the first move, however, and came over to her to hug her eagerly.

"I am so glad you are here." He breathed, almost like he was relieved. She pulled away and scanned his face, looking for any kind of explanation. His left eye was black and swollen shut. Apart from that and some cut on his cheek, he seemed okay. She wondered what the Emperor had done to him.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I do not know. He reappeared yesterday morning in Xiongxang. Some Chinese officers found him, brought him back here. He's perfectly healthy but for a few scratches." Liang seemed both thrilled and puzzled.

"Does he remember anything?" Shifu asked. He was just as confused as they were.

"No. He remembers leaving for Xiongxang and then finding his way back here. That's about it. Dad is inside seeing to his care. Maybe you could speak to him later?" He gave her a pointed look. She nodded in reply, letting him know that she would get as much information as she could. He smiled and gestured to the palace. "Come inside. You must be hungry."

Had it been anybody but Liang, she would have dropped kicked them across the courtyard and then interrogated then fiercely. Despite her instinct, she trusted Liang. As the others filed towards the doors, she held back. When they were alone, she grabbed Liang's arm.

"What is going on?" she asked. Liang seemed…frightened. Maybe it was because of her?

"I know about as much as you do." He shrugged, panic creeping into his voice. "Father has called off war preparations. The money hasn't been returned though. If he were doing this for the money, he made an awful mistake coming back."

"So it isn't about the money?" She asked. "Could it be that he was really kidnapped?"

"I don't know. Tigress, he's real beaten up. Not physically but mentally. He woke up an hour ago screaming his head off. Started rambling about prison." He sighed, eyes still wide with anxiety. "I think something bigger is going on here."

She sighed and her eyes loked to the ground, as if hoping to find answers written in stone. The only sound was the whispering of the wind through the trees. The door creaked open and she jerked her head up to find Po, peeking his head out.

"You two okay?" He called. Liang nodded.

"We're fine." She called back. He turned to Liang and murmured "Let's go see what's going on."

A/N: Again, super sorry that this is so late and so short. I'll have a second chapter for you babes tomorrow. Love you!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Whaaaat? An early chapter from me?

I made the executive decision to cut this chapter in half, mostly because it tells the story better that way. The halves are short, but I will post the first one today and the second tomorrow. Those of you who have been keeping up with this tale know that I love drama, and my favorite thing in the world is a cliffhanger. Be warned XD!

He lay quite still, eyes staring at the ceiling in a life-less way. Only the sight of his chest rising and falling signaled that he was, in fact, alive. He gave no acknowledgements when Tigress and Liang entered his room.

"Brother?" Liang called softly. Ni Chang's head moved slightly at the call of his brother's voice. Despite looking ill, with a split lip and a bruise across his cheek, his eyes sparked a bit when Liang sat next to him on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"As well as to be expected." Ni Chang replied hoarsely.

"You remember Tigress?" Liang asked, gesturing to her. She remained just inside the door, not wanting to get too close in fear of disturbing him. Ni Chang nodded. "She's here to find out what happened."

"Sit, please." Liang urged to Tigress, so she came and sat in a chair next to the bed. He looked at her, as if wanting her to say something first.

"Ni Chang, do you remember anything? About going missing?" She asked softly.

He looked back at the ceiling and for a moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer. "I wasn't kidnapped." He replied softly. "Not at first."

"What do you mean?" Liang frowned.

"She was beautiful." Ni Chang let out a soul-less laugh, more a huff of air than anything. Tigress' eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "She told me we could be happy. I trusted her. When she asked to go to Mongolia, I believed her. I wanted to." When he was done with his ramble, his head turned to look at her once more. "I don't remember anything after Xiongxang. I just remember running." His voice grew soft. His eyes returned to that ceiling.

"Brother, who was this?"

"I trusted her." He mumbled. "She was my snowflake and I trusted her." He began sobbing then, huge tears flowing down his cheeks. "My snowflake."

"Tigress, we should go." Liang stood and planted a soft kiss on his brother's forehead. He took her hand and pulled her out of the room before Ni Chang could start feeling any worse, and start speaking any more gibberish.

Once they were in the hallway, she let out a breath. "Has he been like that since he returned?"

"Yes." Liang sighed. "Ti, I didn't want to tell you about this in a letter, but he was in pretty bad condition. I mean he had broken ribs, bruises. He looked like he was was like he were a wild animal."

"What is going on?" She muttered, more to herself than him. She saw him shrug out of the corner of her eye, but the gears in her head were turning wildly.

"How did it go?" asked a voice. Po was coming down the hallway, Viper following behind.

"Not very well. We barely got anything out of him." Liang shrugged. He leaned against the wall in a very un-royal-like way.

"He kept talking about this girl who lured him to Mongolia. Kept saying 'My snowflake'." Tigress frowned.

"Wait, what?" Viper asked, not having heard the last part.

"He kept calling her 'My Snowflake'." Tigress shrugged, but she stood upright when she saw the gears in Viper's head turning. "Viper?"

"Snow." Viper's shoulder's fell. "Xué is the word for snow." The four of them looked to one another in differing stages of shock. "He was in love with the Mongolian Empress."

A/N: MUAHAHAHAAAAA


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: As promised, here's part two. Stuff is starting to come together! Follow me on wattpad to read the first two chapters of a new story I'm writing.

Enjoy!

"He what?" Shifu looked between the four, as if begging someone to say it was a joke. They were behind the public offices and library, talking quietly beneath the massive oak tree.

"It makes sense, Master." Tigress said. "That's how he was able to get across the border so easily."

"And, she gave me his records. When I read over them again, I noticed that the date he came across the border was almost two months after the Fall Festival, which is the only time the Mongolian and Chinese royal families meet to discuss politics and border patrols. He could have met her at the festival." Viper continued.

"It also explains how that much money got across the border." Liang interjected. "Usually there are restrictions to how much money can come in with a person. With her on his side, he could bypass restrictions."

"Master, when I was in Xiongxang, I was drugged. If he came across the same drug or they used it on him, it would explain why he couldn't remember anything." Viper also said. The others looked at her in surprise, not having heard this side of the tale.

"Viper, how long were you in Mongolia?" Po asked with a frown.

"A day maybe, why?" She shrugged.

"You sent us a letter dated for the same day you arrived and then you said you were kidnapped that night. I don't think you were gone for a day, I think you were gone for several." The declaration hung for a moment in the air. The five of them were silent while Viper thought it through.

"She must have kept you there out of fear." Shifu murmured "But I do not yet know why." His hands ran along his silvery beard.

"Liang, do you know anything about Xué?" Asked Po.

"Not really. Our families were not very close. I do know that she was born here in China. She moved to Mongolia when she was very young." Liang replied." I've only met her once and that's all I found out."

"Well then, we will focus on that." Shifu decided. "Viper, I want you sorting through records. Find everything you can about Xué. Tigress, try to talk with Ni Chang again and see if he remembers anything else. Po, I want you to look over everything again and make sure we didn't miss anything." He turned to Liang. "Will your father interfere with any of this?"

"I do not think he will object, but I will make sure he doesn't" Liang nodded towards the old Grandmaster.

"Thank you."

"Let's meet back here in an hour." The others nodded and took that as their dismissal.

Liang led Viper through the library and back into public records. There, in a series of old cabinets were court documents, arrest records, military lists, and every other kind of written document she would ever need. Liang remained, offering his help going trough the wall to wall cabinets that lined the back of the library.

They worked in silence for a while, just searching through every file for a clue or something to figure out who Xué was. Court records were a bust. There was only one Xué in an old arrest record, but the description was of an old woman, not the vibrant, pale faced Empress Viper had met previously. Almost half an hour went by with nothing of value, until Liang got to the military records.

"Hey Viper." He called. She lowered the file she was on and went to stand by him. "Look at this." She peered over his shoulder at the record of a young man, whose pale face and sparkling eyes peered out from behind a military painting.

"He looks like her." She squinted to read his name. "Wait a second." She took the file and read it over once more. Something about it was familiar.

"What is it?"

"Come with me." She practically went sprinting out of the library. She decided to try the kitchen, now deserted. Po sat at the table, shuffling through the papers they had brought with them from Gongmen. "Po." He sat up straighter and looked towards the kithcen door as they came running in. "Let me see that."

Viper took the investment record, where they had first noticed the 350,000 yuan investment, and scanned over it. "Look." She pointed to the donor name.

"It's the same." Liang muttered in wonder and shock.

"What is?" Po asked, standing to come next to her.

"We found a record of a military man with the same name as the donor on this form. He looks exactly like Xué." She explained. She set the investment sheet down and began trying to scan the file once more, looking for any additional details.

"So, he took the money?" Liang asked, skeptical.

"No." She frowned as she read something.

"How do you know?"

"Because he died a year ago."

Tigress hesitated to enter Ni Chang's room. However, sudden banging on the wall caused her to go in.

"Ni Chang?" The Emperor's youngest son had his fist buried an inch on the wall. He seemed to be fuming, or stressed, she couldn't tell. "What are you doing? Did you have another nightmare?" She tried to keep her voice even. Slowly, so as not to set him off, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him away from the wall. He didn't fight her, just let her drag him away. His fist fell to his side in what looked like defeat. The window across the room was open, and a cold breeze shifted the curtains.

"What happened?" She asked him, letting him go. He stood there, seemingly unsteady, for a moment before speaking.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice cracking.

"It's ok." She replied softly, almost a coo. "I am here to help you."

He studied her for a moment, before nodding like confirming something in his head. "I always liked you." He said out of the blue. "I could always trust you."

"Well, thank you." She replied softly.

He nodded. "She was in it for the money." He said simply.

"Who? Xué?"

He nodded sharply. "She made me do it. She made me take the money. I thought we were going to run away together until she told me to invest it. 'We'll make more.' She said. 'We'll be rich.'" He was trembling almost. He looked at her, panicked. "We can let him go to war. She'll make millions. She'll-" He suddenly broke off and jerked forward. She moved to him, to hold him upright.

There, lodged in between his shoulder blades, was an arrow. She brought them both to the ground before another came flying through the open window, intending on impaling itself through her forehead but instead impaling itself in the wall.

She lay him on the ground carefully and crept over to the side table where a beautiful, elegant vase sat, encompassing some flowers. She yanked the flowers out, dumped the water on the floor, and then crept beneath the window.

Another arrow came flying through, and she jumped up immediately after and slung the vase in the direction of the arrow shooter. It hit a figure standing on a nearby roof, and the guy fell to the ground.

She ran back to Ni Chang and tried desperately to stifle the blood flowing from his back. She removed the arrow and pressed her palm against the wound. He groaned.

"Hold on. She said, voice tense. "SOMEBODY HELP." She yelled, hoping a nearby guard in the hallway would come to their aid.

"Tao Nai." Ni Chang muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He was pale and shivering. Tigress sucked in a breath, tasting the scent of blood on her tongue. He didn't have long.

"What?" She asked. A guard came into the room and then called for more back up. He knelt down next to her and tried to help stop the bleeding as well.

"Stop her." Ni Chang muttered.

And then he was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey you, yeah you.

Enjoy, you sexy beast ;)

She felt...numb. Not like in-sadness-and-alone numb. It was more along the lines of covered-in-blood-and-in-pain numb.

She had been moved out of that bloody room and now sat in a chair somewhere. Her arms were crossed across her chest. Her leg throbbed, and her head hurt for some reason or another. The bedroom around her was clean and smelled like fruit. The smell made her both nauseous and hungry, and that's when she realized she was shaking.

"Hey." Her head lifted slowly as Po came around the back of her chair. He held a bowl filled with water and a cloth.

"Hi." She replied quietly.

He sat on the bed facing her and gingerly set the bowl of water on the nightstand.

"How are you?" He asked. She shrugged. He took the damp cloth and slowly pried her arms from her chest. Seeing the blood that was caked to her fingers made her feel lightheaded.

"What happened to him?" He paused in his work. "The assassin." She clarified.

"He fell two stories off a building, Ti. He's dead." She nodded, glad that she hasn't missed with that vase.

"Good." She replied. He paused once more. "If he were alive, I probably would have killed him myself."

The harshness of her voice made him look at her with worry in his emerald eyes. She didn't mean it the way it had come out. "Buddha knows I can't control my temper." She chuckled lightly and when he realized she was joking, he continued.

Once he had finished, he looked at her for a moment. "You're in pain." He stated simply. It wasn't so much a question as a disapproving sentence.

"I'm fine, Po." She replied dismissively.

"Ti," his voice was a warning,"you can pull that crap with everyone else but not with me." She startled at his tone and the way his piercing green eyes bore into hers.

He stood, shaking his head, and grabbed the bowl, making to leave.

"Po." She called. He stopped. "Can you see if they have anything for my leg?"

"Of course." He replied, softer this time.

As if seemingly broken from a spell, she stood from the chair slowly and looked around. Someone had left clean clothes for her, so she changed gratefully. Her braid had fallen who knows how long ago, and several strands of long hair rested on her back. She quickly re-braided it and took a deep breath. She glanced up at the knock at her door.

Po peeked his head through to make sure she was dressed.

"I'm sorry Ti, but you need to come see this."

They practically collided sliding into the grand hall, but Po's urgency drove them to run across the castle like crazy people.

"Master Shifu, what's-" She stopped, surprised. "Crane?"

The spindly master stood in the throne room beside Shifu and Viper. He was winded, breathing deeply. He looked exhausted.

"Hey Ti." He shrugged.

"Master, what's going on?" She turned to look at Shifu. He gestured for Crane to explain.

"Master Wolfe sent us a scroll soon after you all left Gongmen. He asked us to keep an eye on things in Xiongxang. I offered to go." Crane explained, but it didn't ease the crease in his adopted sister's forehead. "The Mongolian army has massed just over the border."

"Oh my god." She muttered under her breath.

"So what do we do?" Po asked incredulously. He looked to shifu pleadingly.

"Emperor has already begun to mobilize his troops. Several of the Gongmen masters are on their way." Shifu replied.

"Monkey and Mantis are on their way as well. The royal guards will remain to protect the valley." Crane finished.

"So we fight?" Ti asked softly.

"Yes, it seems so." Shifu murmured.

"But wait," Po interrupted, "there's still one more thing I don't get. Why did Xue put that investment in her brother's name?"

"Po, that doesn't really ma-" Ti was cut off by Viper.

"The money." The room went quiet. "Po, every military men has a kind of," she thought for the right word,"account. They leave it open to any financial income so that, if they die, their loved ones are taken care of."

"So, she invests the money in his name so profits go into his account, and then when she becomes a certain age or something, she gets the money?" Crane asked with a frown.

"I guess. We don't know much about her, except for the fact that she was originally Chinese." Viper shrugged.

"Wait," Tigress spoke up, "Tao Nai." She said. The others looked at her in confusion. "Before he died, Ni Chang said something about Tao Nai. I thought it was gibberish, but I just realized what he meant."

"Tao Nai? The orphanage?" Shifu frowned.

She nodded. "I used to hear the name all the time and it never dawned on me. If Xue and her brother were in Tao Nai, that explains why they were separated. Usually male orphans who don't make it out of the orphanage are given to the military. She must have been adopted and he was sent to the Imperial city."

"Tao Nai is up near Xiongxang, correct? It makes sense she would go to Mongolia from there." Viper finished.

"So, let's kill two birds with one stone." Po piped up. The others glanced at him with confusion plastered on their faces. "If we stay here in the city, thousands of people will suffer. However, if we move to Xiongxang, we won't have that risk. We can hit Tao Nai on the way there."

"He has a point, Master." Crane said quietly. "If Xue is found guilty of any of these crimes she has commited, her generals are required to give her up to law. That's both a Mongolian and a Chinese code of could cut her off before she even makes it over the border."

Shifu thought on it for a moment. "I agree. So, here it what we will do. I will go speak with the Emperor and see if he approves. For now, you all need to rest. None of us have had a decent night's sleep since this all began. If all goes according to plan, we can leave at nightfall."

They all gave a nod and began to go their separate ways. "Po," the others were to far gone, but Ti hadn't quite left yet," Well done. You are beginning to think very critically."

"Thanks Master." The unmistakable puff of Po's chest made Tigress chuckle a bit. He was such a child and yet, so intelligent. She shook her head. Po finally took notice of her standing there and ran to her. "Did you hear that?" He whispered excitedly.

"I did. Well done." She kissed his cheek and the two made their way to their beds.

N/A: Awwwwww! Surprise, Surprise, no cliffhanger! I decided to take a break with those for this chapter. I ended it on a semi-fluffy note instead.

Also, I totally came up with the whole "military account" and "orphanage" custom. Those were simply created for the benefit of this story. I just don't want anybody getting mad.

Loves to all!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: You saw that right! A chapter a day early! Celebrating a little because my view count reached over 3,000. I know that doesn't sound like much, but to someone who has never EVER been praised for writing, that makes me super happy.

We are getting to the end of this little story. Probably will finish it up over the next week or so. The idea of a sequel is already kind of at the back of my mind, but I will only write a sequel if you guys want one.

Thanks for the love and the support! You guys are fantastic!

The night was silent. The moon shone over the snow covered landscape, providing a path for them as they rode. The wind was bitter, and Tigress could feel her knuckles going numb against the reigns of her horse.

The Emperor has agreed to let them travel to Xionxang. The small group slept through the afternoon and into late evening, and left once the moon was high enough in the sky to provide them light. Why they left at night, Tigress didn't realize until she and Po were riding side by side and he told her his theory.

"It might be because she wants to attack at dawn." He murmured, barely audible over the pounding of the horses' hooves. "At least this way we have time to stop this."

She nodded rather than trying to reply. In all truth, she was exhausted. Despite sleeping for several hours, the constant movement and the discoveries of the last several days kept her brain reeling. Added to that the pain she was still experiencing, and she was tired. The medic had told her earlier in the day that she had torn right through her stitches when she tackled Ni Chang.

She kept her eyes on the horizon until they neared the city gates, where the group slowed to a stop. Before clearing the forest, they released their horses and hovered at the edge of the tree line.

"Do you hear anything?" Viper asked. Shifu frowned.

"No, Viper. They must have evacuated. Usually they have night guards." Shifu peered further out. "No one's here."

He pulled up the hood on his traveling cloak and made his way into open space. The others followed behind cautiously, doing the same.

When they got to the city gates and found that no one stood there, they relaxed a bit. "Po, go around to the left, Crane the middle, Viper the right. Make sure we are alone." The three of them nodded and took off in their respective directions.

"What about me, Master?" Tigress stepped forward.

"I want you here." She frowned at his response. When he saw her reaction, he sighed. "Tigress, you are injured." She made to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her from doing so. "Try as you may to deny it, you need rest. You have done an excellent job of remaining focused on your task, but emotions and feelings are not something so easily hidden. It is exhausting work to conceal them." Her eyes widened, but there was no reply. He was right. Not only was she injured physically, but part of her remained back in that imperial city with Liang. He had lost his brother, and his best friend, in a matter of days. Couple that with lack of sleep, and she was not prepared for this.

"Go find someplace to sleep. We will wake you if anything happens." She hesitated, but nodded at his orders. As much as it pained her to admit it, he was right. Maybe the old guy really did care.

She left the square and headed into what she assumed was the inn, past the empty desk and straight up the stairs. She turned into the first room she could get to, and passed out almost instantly on the bed.

"Nothing master." Viper called, still slightly out of breath, as she neared the square. Po and Crane entered at the same time, both also shaking their heads.

'Where's Tigress?" Po asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I sent her to get some rest. I am asking the same of you, with one exception. I will be going across the border." The others looked to one another in surprise, but he held up his hand to keep them from interrupting. "I need the four of you to remain here. Too many of us will make it seem as though we have ill intent. Set up guard duty and rotate. Get some rest. "

"Master, what will you do?" Viper asked quietly.

"I do not yet know." Was all he replied with. He moved past them to return to his horse.

"I'll take the first watch." Viper said once he had gone. "You boys go get some sleep." She gestured with her head towards the inn.

They nodded wordlessly and entered the empty inn. Crane immediately entered a room midway down the hallway, but Po hesitated. As irrational and improbable as it was, he really wanted to be with Tigress. Over the course of the last few days, they hadn't had any opportunity to talk just the two of them, and they definitely had stuff to talk about. Now, though, wasn't the time.

"Hey." Murmured a quiet voice behind him. Tigress, looking sleepy and disheveled, stood in the hallway, holding a glass of water. "You alright?"

"Yeah. How are you?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay." They stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither making a sound. "Hey." His head jerked up and her eyes met his. She held out a hand with a small smile. "Come on." He took her hand and followed her inside.

After setting the glass on the bedside table, she crawled back under the covers and patted the space next to her. He laid down happily on his back, and she curled up to his side contently.

"Ti," he said daringly after a few moments, voice barely above a whisper. She glanced up at him from where her head lay on his shoulder. "What are we?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Do we need to put a label on it just yet?" She asked. At first he was hurt, but then he realized it was probably for the best. Who knew how things would change when they got back.

"I guess not." He looked up to the ceiling. Her hand reached out and cupped his cheek, gently pulling his face to hers so she could kiss him lightly.

After a few moments of silence, just as Po was beginning to fall asleep, he heard her murmur "I love you." When he glanced down, surprised, he found her sound asleep.

And who knows if he actually heard it or not.

N/A: I know this didn't really help anything plot-wise, but sometimes you just gotta have a little fluff.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey guys! Here's your Saturday chapter! We are getting close to the end of the series. Do you guys want a sequel?

Enjoy!

The wind was harsh against his face and hands, but he pushed his horse harder. The moon still illuminated the path in front of him. Shifu wasn't one to panic, but his heart was racing in fear.

He was going too fast to notice the cracking noise. Suddenly, his horse lurched forward and he became airborne. Thankfully, his decades of training kicked in, and he was able to flip forward off the tumbling equine and land in a crouch a few meters away.

By the time he looked up, though, he was completely sorrounded by soldiers.

He slowly stood, keeping his hands up, to show that he wasn't going to try anything. "Good evening, gentlemen." He spoke into the quiet. The soldiers kept their long swords pointed at him silently.

"You have crossed the border. I do hope you have a good reason." An older man stepped forward, with salt and pepper hair and a broad chest covered in armor. His fellow soldiers were adorned in maroon breastplates, while he had gold. Gold was the sign of a general.

"I wish to speak with you, actually." Shifu stated calmly.

The General frowned. "You cross into Mongolian borders, in the middle of the night, riding as fast as possible, to speak with me. I do hope you have something interesting to say."

"I am Master Shifu, of the Jade palace. I come about your Empress. I-"

"Master Shifu?" The General looked at him up and down. "I have heard stories of many Kung Fu Masters in China." Shifu's eyebrows raised in surprise, more so at the fact that he knew of any Kung Fu Masters. Kung Fu had never been prominent in Mongolia. "Please, lower your swords." His men lowered their weapons, but looked among one another skeptically.

"Sir, we-"

The General held up one hand to silence him. "Obviously this Kung Fu Master has no ill intentions, otherwise I dount he would have come alone." The General looked at Shifu with a threatening glint in his eye. A warning to the elderly master. "You say you have a message about our leader? We will escort you to our camp so that you may meet with our commander in chief. Maybe we can also get you a new horse." He glanced humorlessly at the equine, who lay dead with an arrow portruding from its flank.

Shifu nodded and followed them into the night.

Pre-dawn light came too soon for Tigress, and she had to fight every instict to roll back over and go to sleep. The sky outside was dim, signalling snow in the future. A cool air had settled over the inn, and Ti rolled over seeking body heat. Unfortunately, her warrior friend was missing. She sighed and sat up.

After standing and washing her face in the bathroom, she left the room in search of her friends.

After not having any luck in the inn, she tried the courtyard, but still, no one was there. Frowning, mshe put her hands on her hips.

"Pssst." Her head jerked at the sound. "Psssssst" The noise was coming from above her. She glanced up and saw Po on the roof, waving.

"What are you doing up there?" She asked with a chuckle. She took a running leap and caught the edge of the roof with her hands. After a helping hand from him, she was able to sit on the peak of the roof.

"Couldn't sleep, so I took over Viper's watch. She and Crane are still asleep." He explained. He pulled his knees up to his chest. The two sat in silence, watching the oncoming snowstorm from their perch.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" He said after a moment.

"Of course." She replied.

"You and Liang, I mean-"

"Po." Ti interrupted. At first, he thought she was going to object to peakin about Liang, but her stiffened postire told him something was wrong. He followed her line of sight to the horizon.

"What is that?"

"Master Shifu. I trust you have a good reason for wanting to see me?" The commander in chief was a tall man, slightly younger than most of the generals around face was kind and young, and Shifu hoped that it would work to his advantage.

"Yes, I have come about the Empress. She is wanted for crimes against the Chinese monarchy." Although he spoke calmy, he could feel the awed stares from the generals around him. Muttering ensued.

"What crimes?" The young commander seemed genuinely interested.

"Yesterday, the young prince was assasinated by a member of the Empress' court." The room was silent, both in disbelief and shock.

"How do you know he was acting on behalf of the Empress? He could have gone rogue?"

"Sir, please, there's more." Shifu began to explain everything, the vault, the missing money, the ghost investment. He pulled out all of the documents that he had brought along as proof. When he was done, he waited patiently for someone, anyone, to say something.

"Sir, we do not know if he speaks the truth." One of the older generals spoke up.

"No, we do not." The yound commander sighed and rubbed his chin with one hand. "However, we also don't know if what he speaks is false. The Chinese emperor has called off the war and yet we are till on neverending patrols, and we are preparing for battle when none has been declared. I'd like to at least investigate before we begin to deploy the worst, we can know all of the facts and continue preparations."

"But sir," spoke up one man. He wasn't a general, but looked like an assistant to one," a fleet of troops has already been deployed."

"WHAT?" The commander roared, whipping around to look at the man. The assistant shrank back in fear. "I DID NOT authorize any squadron to be released."

"The Empress did, sir." spoke up the young man, now trembling. "They left for Xiongxang at dawn."


	22. Chapter 22

"What is that?" Tigress frowned, looking at the mass growing in the Horizon. From up on the roof, they could see the Mongolian border, and the guard tower nearby. The mass had already stepped foot over the line.

Po's eyebrows furrowed the longer he glanced. "Let's get inside." She nodded in agreement, and the two slid to the edge of the roof and carefully jumped down. "I'll go wake the others." He disappeared into the inn. She followed him after a moment to change and pull up her hair. By the time the others were up and moving, the mass was no longer a mass. Tigress could hear horses' hooves.

"Po." She called, standing at the entrance to the inn. He appeared a moment later. "They are soldiers. Shifu must not have gotten there in time."

"Do you think he's-"

"No." She cut him off. "We can't afford to think like that. We should find someplace to hide." He nodded in reply and the two re-entered the inn where Viper and Crane were waiting. "Viper you have been here before. Where should we go?"

The young girl thought for a moment, racking her brain. "Well, I was only really here for one day, but I'd say we split up. There is a belltower in the west. Maybe someone could climb up there. If we need help, we can ring the bell."

"I'll go that way. Crane, why dono't you follow me up there. You can find a perch higher up to keep an eye on things." Crane nodded, and he and Po took off down a back alley.

The crunching of boots mixed with hooves was getting closer. "Ti, what about us?" Viper looked over to her friend, eyes wide and a little bit terrified.

"Come on." Tigress grabbed her hand and led her back inside of the inn. She tried to think critically, fighting the panic in her stomach. If the guards were entering through the main gates, they would come by the entrance of the inn first. Rather than risk being spotted, they ran back through the inn and exited out a servant door in a back alleyway. They hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to go, but the calling of the general and his troops forced them forward. They kept winding through alleys until the voices were faint.

"I have an idea, but it may get us killed." Viper spoke softly. They ducked into the back door of an empty house to catch their breath. Tigress pulled all of the curtains to.

"An idea is an idea, no matter how reckless." Ti chuckled. "What is it?"

"If we move now, it'll be a moment before the troops catch up with us. We can try to follow the back wall of the city and escape out the gate. Our horses are still tied in the woods."

"We can certainly try, but what about the boys?" Viper's shoulders slumped slightly at Ti's statement. Tigress was right, though. They wouldn't be able to get out. Even if they could, the horses would be quite a distance from them.

"Come on. We need to move." Said the redhead. They ducked back out of the house. If Tigress has=dn't been as fast as she was, she would have been caught in the throat by a sword tip.

"Look here, gentlemen." The soldier in front chuckled ruefully. "Seems these two ladies have been left behind. Tigress, whether out of habit or intuition, stepped in front so that her body was in front of Viper's. The girl was a kung fu master, but that didn't stop the red head from being a bit protective.

"We were just leaving." She said pleasantly, although inside, her stomach was twisting like knots. "If you'll excuse us." She made to move around the soldier, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back so she was in front of him. Tigress decided to play to his ignorance, since obviously the soldiers crowded around them had no idea the damage they could do. "All we want to do is leave." Her voice was soft, but her eyes were dangerous.

She slowly crept her hand further behind her back and gripped Viper's arm tightly once, before releasing her. Hopefully the younger master got the message.

"I'm sorry, Miss." The lead soldier said. A few of his friends chuckled, clenching their swords menacingly. "We have to take you two back with us first."

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly. Her mouth turned up in what could only be considered a maniac smile. "There's only one of me."

In the distance the bell tower clanged loudly, as it finally dawned on the soldiers that the "little" girl that had been hiding behind Tigress had vanished, and had apparently gone to warn the others.

"GET HER!" Somebody screamed.

Before the lead guy could even raise his sword, she shoved her palm up into his nose, and then brought her knee up to his groin. He fell, but she grabbed his sword as he did so and was able to parry a strike from her left. Her foot jolted up and kicked the soldier in the chest, and he went flying back into two more of his comrades.

Tigress ducked under a strike from the right and ran at the guy, barreling into him with her shoulder and knocking him to the ground. She fell with him and heard rather than saw his head hit the ground with a crack. She had fallen on her back on the cobblestone, so she rolled to the right as a stab came towards her. She used the guys momentum to basically kick him and roll him over her head.

When she got to a standing position, only three men remained, swords poised. They came at her all at once, but that was okay. She hit the first guy in the chest with a roundhouse kick, knocking him harshly against the wall. The second guy got a double palm strike, and then she spun him quickly and forced his arms behind his back. While holding his arms, she sent a kick to his back and let go of his hands at the same time, sending him flying against the third guy.

Panting, she stood straight and glanced over the men that litter the ground in varied shades of pain. As one began to slowly get up, she ducked out of the alley and made her way to the tower, hoping Shifu would make it back soon.

A/N: Sorry for the awkward fight scene. I've never really written one, so if it was disjointed or anything I apologize. I'll post the second half of this chapter tomorrow, but it won't be until tomorrow night. I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon :) Hope you liked this!


	23. Announcement

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry to send a quick message like this. I haven't been home for almost a week, and have been using really shitty hotel wifi that I am convinced hates me. I won't be able to update until next week. I am so sorry guys. I love all of you! I promise I'll update as soon as I am able.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Whew….I can't even begin to tell you how crazy this week has been. On top of riding across three different states in a bus, I have also lost quite a bit of sleep and gained a really bad head cold. AND to make matters worse, pretty much everywhere I went had probably the worst wifi I have ever seen.

I originally had this chapter yesterday but it was really rushed and weak and I wanted to tweak it and add more detail before I tried to post it. Also, beware of grammar mistakes. I'm trying to catch them all (hehe pikachu) but I am so sleep deprived that I am slightly loopy.

Enjoy this chapter! I should be completely finished with the story by the end of the weekend (illness pending). Love you guys, and thanks for understanding.

Try as she may to find her comrades, Tigress just couldn't shake the guards that seemed to be coming from everywhere.

She would jog around a corner and two more soldiers would come at her, swords drawn. She would easily dispose of them, only to come into contact with more around the next bend.

'Po?" She called. She jogged ahead from her latest victims and almost ran smack into her friend as he came around a corner.

"Hey, glad I found you." His hands remained on her arms long after she was steadied, but she didn't mind. "Viper came to warn us."

"Good, I'm happy she got there safe. Where are she and Crane?" Tigress scanned the area over his shoulder, checking for any soldiers or any sign of their friends,

"Still over by the bell tower. Come on." He took her hand and she followed him back towards where the others were waiting.

"I see you guys had some fun." She commented, looking at the several unconscious soldiers that littered the pavement. Viper glanced up from where she was gathering bodies and binding their hands and feet.

"Yeah. Glad you made it out okay.I thought you would lose your head." Tigress shot her younger sister a glare and the dark-headed girl laughed.

Ti helped Viper shove the men into the bell tower and shut the door. She was about to suggest they find somewhere to lay low when someone shouted "Over here!" and at least fifty men entered the square near the tower.

As Viper, Crane, and Tigress began to take their fighting stances, Po held his hand up. "Wait." They stood normally once more, waiting and shooting him confused glances.

As more men entered the square, they did not move.

"Who are you?" Called one of the soldiers.

"Silence." Stated a second voice, and a man wearing a general's armor entered through the ranks."You do not speak unless I strictly ask you to." He scolded, practically hissing, towards the young man. He turned back to the four masters standing patiently. "Who do we have here?"

"Nobody. We were just passing through." Po replied. "We are simple travelers."

"Simple travelers? Is that why twenty of my men lay unconscious a quarter of a li from here?" Although the man's voice remained calm, his eyes held a threatening glare.

Po cast a glance to Tigress, surprise on his features, and she met his eyes for a brief moment before turning back to the general.

"In my defense, sir, they attacked first." Her voice was almost sickly sweet. "What's a girl to do?" After she said it, she could tell that the other two warriors had caught on. Tigress and Po were merely stalling. There were maybe two hundred soldiers facing them now, swords in hand. There was no getting out of this situation without help. Seeing as how Shifu had not yet come back, they were on their own.

The general chuckled, but his harsh gaze did not falter. "Perhaps, you should explain that to the Emperor. Round them up men."

As the soldiers began pushing forward, Tigress heard the unmistakable sound of horse hooves in the distance. "Thank Buddha." She said, and then surprised the man currently binding her hands with a kick to the groin. The others sprung into action, too, fighting back soldiers as best they could. When the Masters Wolfe, Croc, and Ox arrived, the rest of the soldiers were taken care of quickly.

"How, exactly, did you get yourselves into _this_ mess?" Ox asked, one eyebrow raised. He glanced around at the groaning and moaning soldiers that littered the street.

"Long story. We-" Tigress stopped, listening," Hey boys and girls, looks like we may have more company." They were beginning to hear the horses as well. The seven of them got into their stances.

"That's…That's Shifu?" Po said, voice mixed with surprise and happiness. Confusion also lingered when he saw the Mongolin general riding alongside.

When they stopped their horses, the general only gaped at the streets around him. Shifu glanced briefly as well, but saved his surprise, and praise, for later.

"I see you recruited some help." Shifu nodded at the three masters of Gongmen. "A pleasure to see you three again."

"The pleasure was ours, Master Shifu. We do have to return to our city, but please call if you should see any problems." Shifu nodded to Wolfe in reply and the three gentlemen returned to their equines.

"I see your students are quite capable, Shifu." The General looked around in quiet puzzlement. "I am glad this was taken care of before it got out of hand. We wouldn't want a unnecessary war on our hands." He held out his hand, and Shifu shook it good-naturedly.

"Master?" Viper looked to the older man to explain.

"That, there, is the lead commander of the Mongolian army. He has agreed to open an investigation into the Empress' actions. For now, the five of us will return to the Imperial city and await their verdict. Until then, as far as I know, the Mongolian Empress is being kept at her winter estate." He replied. He then sighed, seeing their apprehension. "There is no more we can do than return. We must trust them to do their jobs."

"Well, then, let's go home." Po said softly. He glanced to Tigress, and then their master. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

That seemed to momentarily break the tension. As the others began the walk back to the city gates, Po hung back so he could wrap his arm around Ti's waist and kiss her temple.

He jogged to catch up with the others, and so did she, and they prepared for the road ahead.

A/N: Hey guys. Found out I have strep throat which, of course, is EXACTLY how I wanted to spend my Spring Break (sarcasm intended). Ah oh well. More writing time for me. Two more chapters left.

See ya!


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: hey guys! Been a crazy few days. SHOUT OUT TO MY NEW FOLLOWERS/ FAVORITES.

These last two chapters will be pretty short and will both be up today. Stay classy ;)

The cool breeze felt good despite the wintry air. Another of snow had laid itself on the ground overnight, so finding a place to sit was a little tricky. Po eventually decided to sit in a quiet corner of the main courtyard to meditate. He had only been sitting for an hour when a presence nearby caused him to crack open one eye.

"Hey." Said Tigress. "Sorry to bother you."

"You'll never bother me. Come sit." He patted the ground next to him. She carefully took a seat, being careful not to rip her stitched thigh again. In the three days once they had returned from Xiongxang, she had been made aware that her thigh needed to be fixed...again. She was supposed to be on bedrest. Po suspected that she had either snuck past Shifu, or he let her out.

"How's your meditation?" He cast her a look. Judging by the look on her face, she was stalling.

"What's up?" He asked her. It was then he took notice of the small scroll that rested by her side.

She sighed. "This came in from Mongolia." She handed it to him. "She escaped, Po. Some of her allies aided her into hiding when she was found guilty."

He groaned and leaned his head back. "So, what now?"

"We go home." He looked at her in surprise. "We've done all we can do. Plus, the winter feast is in two days. You need to be making noodles in the valley in just over forty-eight hours." She joked, elbowing his bicep. "Come on. The others are waiting." She stood carefully and he gladly took her outstretched hand.

They made it to the valley in record time. The Emperor allowed them to take a carriage back, and showed them a better path that wasn't so easily muddied by rain and snow.

By the time they got to the valley entrance, the snow was almost six inches high and falling still. The paper lanterns had been hung in preparation for the big day, and illuminated a path towards the Jade Palace. It wasn't too late past sunset, and many villagers came to greet the weary warriors as they entered. None of them, of course, were louder than Mr. Ping.

"PO!" The small man came hobbling out of his shop absolutely covered in flour. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" He whacked the Dragon Warrior playfully on the arm with a wooden spoon.

"OW!" Po rubbed his arm and glanced to Tigress. "You see the abuse I go through?" He said it jokingly, but Ping gasped and hugged the man tightly.

"Welcome home, Lotus." Li came out of the shop. He carried Lei Lei in one arm. The little girl also had flour all in her hair. She squirmed when she saw her favorite master and the older man put her down.

"Hello little one." Tigress picked her up.

"We are going to head up to the palace." Viper came over. "You two come up when you're ready." She winked at Tigress and the young redhead blushed. How much did her sister know, exactly?

"Why are you covered in flour, Lei." She asked the little girl, masking her blush. She casually brushed the white powder off of her vest.

"Ping and I was makin' noodles!" She chattered excitedly. "Will you come help?"

Tigress sighed, feeling exhaustion in her bones. "I have to go to bed, little one. Maybe tomorrow." She ruffled the little girl's hair. "You coming up, Po?" She asked, turning her attention to the Dragon Warrior. He paused in his discussion with his fathers.

"I think I'll stay here tonight. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course." She set the little girl down. "Go play with cuddles. I'll see you in the morning." She urged the little girl along and then turned from the group to begin the long trek up the stairs.

A/N: ONE MORE CHAPTER. I'll post tonight (late; I'm going to see Beauty and the Beast). Love ya!


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

This is the LAST chapter of my little story here. I hope you guys have enjoyed it, because I sure as hell have. I am thinking of a sequel, but only if you guys want it.

Thanks for taking a chance on my story, guys. You make me happy.

With loves!

1 Year Later

She took a deep breath, inhaling the cold air around her with anticipation and uncertainty. She hesitated to return to the warmth and company of Mr. Ping's restaurant. She fingered the scroll once more, then returned it to her pocket and mustered up the courage to return.

"Tigress!" Lei Lei saw her friend enter the restaurant and hopped off of the table. "Where were you?" She wrapped her arms around Ti's waist.

"Talking to Shifu." She knelt down in front of the little girl. "Are the bean buns ready yet?"

"No." the little girl pouted. "Everytime I ask, I get kicked out of the kitchen." She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. Tigress chuckled and ruffled her hair.

She moved past the little girl and wound her way through the crowd, saying her hellos to any familiar face she saw. When she saw that the five had procured a corner table, she wound a path to them.

"There you are!" Said Viper as she neared them, Lei trailing behind her. "Where have you been?"

"Talking to Shifu." She explained and sat.

"Everything okay?" Monkey asked.

"Yeah. Do you know where Po is?" She frowned, scanning the crowd.

"Right behind you." Lei Lei squealed as she was suddenly grabbed from behind and her stomach tickled by the Dragon Warrior. He set her down after a moment, and she climbed into Tigress' lap to escape the "tickle monster". Po didn't chase her, opting to sit next to Tigress. "Where'd you go?"

"Shifu wanted to speak with me. How's your dad? Shouldn't you be helping?" She chuckled.

He shook his head. "Convinced dad to give me a break. I haven't eaten since last night. You okay?"

Someone struck up some music and suddenly the restaurant's noise level raised several levels. "I'm fine." He frowned at her. "We'll talk later."

He glanced around at the several people now dancing, including the other furious five members, and stood. "Come on." He led her around the crowd and through the kitchen to the back alleyway. When they stepped into the quiet, he turned to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"She's dead, Po." She stated, pulling out the small scroll that Shifu had given her moments ago. "They found her in the mountains, suffering from hypothermia. She didn't make it to a trial."

He scanned over the scroll, and then glanced at her. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine. Just glad we don't have to wait for an answer anymore. I just wish she could pay for what she did. Ni Chang, Li Tong, they didn't deserve to die like that." She thought for a moment. "I did find out some good news, though." He raised his eyebrows, beckoning for her to continue on. "Liang will be crowned as the Emperor in a week's time. He has invited us to the coronation. That is, if you want to go."

"Really?" Po's eyes went wide and his smile grew. "I GET TO GO TO HIS CORONATION? THAT IS SO COOL!"

"I thought you'd be excited." She said softly, watching him do a happy dance. He stopped suddenly and his eyes went distant.

"Liang won't tell his father, will he?" Po's sudden change in tone surprised her.

"No." She replied, shaking her head. "Sometimes, people have to forgo love for the sake of is better this way, Po."

He nodded and didn't speak for a moment. When he did, it was a frown. "You loved him." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.

"As a brother. Not nearly as much as I do you." She replied with a fond smile, one he didn't see that often.

"Good," She frowned at his reply, "because, I was going to ask you to marry me, but that would kind of be awkward if you were in love with someone else."

Her eyes went wide, and she just gaped at him. "What?"

"I mean, I was gonna wait until after the feast, but why wait?" He teetered nervously in the snow for a moment, casting back and forth glances at his feet and her, although he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Po-"

"I mean, if you don't want to that's okay. I'd understand. I just-"

"Po." She stopped him talking by hugging him tightly. He embraced her back, and the two stayed in silence for a moment. She buried her face in her shoulder, completely shell-shocked and totally unsure of how to respond.

"Ti," He stepped back," I'm being serious. I know you aren't big on girly things and you don't like PDA, and I'm fine with that. We don't have do do anything big, hell we don't even have to tell the others. " He cupped her face with his hands. His green eyes bore into hers. "I do know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He sighed. "Will you marry me?"

She didn't hesitate this time.

"Yes."

A/N: …

Let it be known that I had not intended this to be super fluffy, but I felt like they needed a happy ending.

Look out for a sequel…..maybe ;)

Thanks for being awesome!

boomie out


	27. Chapter 27

Hey guys!

the first chapter of the sequel, the Dragons Battle, is up. Let me know what y'all think


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